By Tilda Acorlor
In a vibrant and colourful opening ceremony, the Hohoe Sports Stadium was officially commissioned in front of a packed crowd of over 7,000 enthusiastic spectators.
This marks a significant achievement in the development of sports in the Volta Region.
The construction of the Hohoe Stadium took several years and has been highly anticipated by the local community and sports enthusiasts in Hohoe.
The commissioning event attracted numerous dignitaries, including the paramount chief, Torgbui Gabusu V, Torgbui Adzimah V; the President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Mr. Kurt Okraku; legendary footballer Abedi Ayew Pele; as well as various members of the football fraternity from both the national and regional levels, led by the Vice Chairman of the Volta Regional Football Association, Mr. Ceasar Heh; Secretary Promise Ahiagba; and Regional Exco members Foster Kudiabor and Mr. Mark Kofi.
GFA President Mr. Kurt Okraku expressed his excitement about the new infrastructure, emphasising its importance in strengthening the fundamentals of Ghanaian football, which is a key initiative of his administration.
“I am happy to be here today. This is a day reserved for all of us. What we are witnessing is crucial for the development of football in our country,” he said.
“If we want good football, it is important to have a good football pitch and infrastructure.”
“What we see today is not just for our generation, it is also for future generations, an investment in football for the young boys and girls who are yet to be born.”
“This event represents a significant part of my vision to fix the fundamentals of football,” he added.
“On behalf of the FA, I want to thank you for this remarkable investment in Ghanaian football and for laying the foundation for young boys and girls to realise their dreams,” Mr. Okraku concluded.
The Member of Parliament for Hohoe Constituency and Minister of Railways, Hon. John Peter Amewu, who is the visionary behind the stadium project, recounted how the initiative began in 2005 during the administration of former President John Agyekum Kufuor.
“I had some blocks, brought them from Accra to Hohoe, and started walking the place. I met a young lady achitect I invited to town who gave me the design for this project. I started the project with efforts from friends and sympathisers.”
Unfortunately, we left the office in 2008; the whole place was turned down into a forest. We came back to office in 2016, and I resumed with support from friends, individuals, and the chiefs, and we approached the landowners in discussions, fully acquired the land, made payments. We went ahead to start the project, and this is where we are,” Hon. Amewu recounted.
He expressed profound gratitude to the people of Hohoe for their support and interest in sports, which motivated the establishment of the Hohoe Stadium.
“The credit for the construction of this stadium goes to the chiefs and the people of Hohoe. Their enthusiasm for sports has been a driving force behind this project,” he said.
He mentioned that the full completion of the stadium would be gradual and is expected to be achieved within a year.
“It’s gradual, we are 90% complete, early first quarter of next year we should expect full completion,” he added.
The official commissioning was done by football legend Abedi Pele, Hon. John Peter Amewu, Mr. Kurt Okraku, Togbe Adzimah, and other dignitaries, followed by a ceremonial kickoff led by the same dignitaries.
Former Black Stars players, including John Mensah, Fatawu Dauda, John Paintsil, and Agyemang Badu, participated in a ceremonial match against a Hohoe-selected side, with the game concluding at 4-1 in favour of the former Black Stars players.
