2023 African Games: Pull out of hosting if it's not too late - John Mahama to government

Former President John Dramani Mahama has suggested that Ghana pull out from hosting the 2023 All-African Games. Ghana beat Nigeria and Burkina Faso to win the hosting right in 2018, signing an agreement with the African Union. The competition is scheduled to commence in August 2023. However, Mahama argues that the country is not financially strong to cough out "hundreds of millions" to set up facilities to host the multi-sport event. “If it’s not too late, we can pull out of hosting the Africa Games, as it will severely stretch our precarious finances by hundreds of millions of cedis,” Mahama said in a speech Thursday night. At the moment, the country is racing against the deadline set for infrastructure with the Local Organising Committee(LOC) stating that funds set for facilities have been delayed. The LOC has warned that another delay in the release of funding could jeopardise their ability to meet timelines. There is a designated $140 million for facilities for the games. The earmarked is said to come from a $750 million Afreximbank loan to the Government of Ghana. Watch the latest edition of GhanaWeb Mundial, Sports Debate and Sports Check below EE/KPE