Wa, July 20, GNA - Mr. Cezar Kale, the Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, has urged the private sector to partner government to develop sports in the country.

He said government was committed to the transformation of sports, especially at the basic school level.

Mr. Kale was addressing school children at the 25th Annual Upper West Region Basic Schools under-15 Inter-District Sports Festival held in Wa on Monday.

He said sports had been found to be a tool for uniting the people and also, financially rewarding as well as encouraging discipline.

He urged the organisers of the tournament to use it to help unearth talents and nurture them by integrating them into sporting clubs to continue their training.

Mr. Kale appealed to trainers and other stakeholders to also collaborate with corporate institutions and public spirited individuals to provide sporting facilities and sponsorship packages to players and athletes.

He appealed to parents not to over burden their children with extra academic classes with no time allocated to them to play.

"Children need play time to socialise with their peers and learn the spirit of teamwork", he said.

Mr Kale appealed to the National Sports Council, the National Youth Council and the Ghana Education Service to harmonise their sports development framework into a comprehensive one, especially at the basic level to attract sponsorship from corporate institutions.

Mr. Duogu Yakubu, Wa Municipal Chief Executive, urged stakeholders involved in sports to put premium on grassroots sports development.

He gave the assurance that the Wa Municipal Assembly would complement the government's efforts in the development of sports.

All the nine districts in the region are participating in the week-long festival and would compete for honours in soccer, handball, volleyball, netball, table tennis, and athletics.