President John Agyekum Kufuor has urged Ghanaians to exhibit goodwill towards the visitors and teams of the contesting countries of the Ghana 2008 tournament, which kicks off on Sunday.
"Let's us exhibit goodwill and extend our Ghanaian hospitality that we are noted for towards participating teams, their supporters and other visitors during the CAN 2008", he said.
President Kufuor was addressing a large crowd at the newly constructed Tamale Sports Stadium on Friday when he cut the tape to officially commission it for the CAN 2008.
President Kufuor described as an "irony of fate" that Tamale was now getting a befitting Stadium after producing the country's greatest footballers, who gained laurels not only for Ghana but also for the continent.
He noted that a greater number of Ghanaian footballers who won Africa players of the year were of Northern extraction and expressed the hope that modern edifice would provide an avenue for more football talents to emerge from the area.
President Kufuor called for effective collaboration particularly between senior citizens from regions that had the new stadiums to ensure that they cultivated the culture of maintenance to preserve the monuments.
Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Northern Regional Minister said, "Posterity would judge us rightly if we refuse to maintain and preserve the facility" and that the Northern Regional Coordinating Council would collaborate effectively with stakeholders to ensure that the tournament was successful.
He expressed gratitude to chiefs and traditional leaders in the region for releasing the land for the construction of the stadium as well as lending their support for its successful completion.
Mr. Mark Chan, Manager of Shanghai Construction Company, contractors of the stadium observed that the early and successful completion of the projects had further strengthened the bond of friendship between China and Ghana.
He said China was proud to have assisted Ghana to host the CAN 2008 and expressed the hope that the future was bright for further cooperation between the two countries.
President Kufuor later took the kick-off for a friendly match between Real Tamale United (RTU) and Bolgatanga Catholic Stars, which ended 1-1 drawn game.
Source: GNA
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
Latest Stories
-
‘When Abrantie BoG came, the cedi is now trading at GHȼ16 to a dollar’ – Mahama teases Bawumia
55 seconds -
Al Fayed’s son ‘horrified’ by sexual abuse allegations
6 mins -
Agyapa Mercer unveils Ghana’s first Creative Arts Hall of Fame in Sekondi
7 mins -
Bright Simons: Bank of Ghana sweats to impress the IMF about cedi’s woes
14 mins -
Mahama accuses Sanitation Ministry of squandering $43m World Bank grant, $150m GARID funds
18 mins -
GPL 2024/25: Samartex return from Africa with sight on Vision FC
60 mins -
Ashimeru praises Vincent Kompany’s early success at Bayern Munich
1 hour -
Jintao Sanitary Ware Ghana Limited begins operations in Takoradi
1 hour -
Zamalek beat Al Ahly on penlaties to win 2024 CAF Super Cup
1 hour -
Elisha Owusu opens Ligue 1 scoring account as Auxerre thump Brest
2 hours -
We need quality products locally; importing to run top hotels increases cost – Labadi Beach Hotel MD
10 hours -
2024/25 GPL: Basake Holy Stars face tough test against Medeama at CAM Park
10 hours -
Kwahu-Nkwatia development chief advocates for peaceful elections
10 hours -
We must declare state of emergency over galamsey, halt all mining – VLK Djokoto
11 hours -
JL Plantations, WES Trade sign MoU to promote commercial agriculture in Ghana
11 hours