A youth and sports facility in Navrongo that was expected to transform opportunities for young people in the Upper East Region remains unfinished nearly nine years after construction began, despite assurances that it would be completed within months.

The Navrongo Youth Resource Centre, estimated to cost about GH¢7 million, was launched in May 2018 as part of a nationwide initiative to provide modern sports and youth development facilities across Ghana’s sixteen regions. But a recent visit to the site reveals a project that has deteriorated significantly, with incomplete structures, broken chairs and sections of the facility damaged by fire.

The Upper East Region remains one of the least endowed regions in Ghana in terms of sports infrastructure. Apart from a few AstroTurf pitches, many Division One and Division Two football clubs continue to train and play on dusty fields commonly known as sakora parks.

Against that backdrop, expectations were high when government officials gathered in Navrongo on 14th May 2018 to cut sod for the construction of the Youth Resource Centre under the National Youth Authority’s Youth Resource Centre initiative.

The ceremony was attended by the then Minister for Youth and Sports, Isaac Kwame Asiamah, the then Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Ayine Bukari, the then Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority, Emmanuel Sin-nyet Asigri, project consultant Joe Hackman and other dignitaries.

At the time, the facility was expected to be completed within nine months and was designed to include a FIFA standard 5,000 capacity football stadium, an eight lane athletics track, ICT and entrepreneurship centres, career development facilities, tennis, basketball and volleyball courts, a modern restaurant, washroom facilities, maintenance units, floodlights and other supporting infrastructure.

The project was intended to serve as a major hub for sports, skills development and youth empowerment in the region.

However, almost nine years later, that vision has yet to materialise.

An investigative visit to the project site by journalist Ibrahim Abode found that the facility remains abandoned and exposed to the elements. Structures that were partially completed are showing signs of deterioration, while several key components of the project remain unfinished.

The condition of the facility has raised concerns among residents and sports enthusiasts about the value for money invested in the project and the prolonged delay in its completion.

Speaking to this reporter, a young man identified as Gideon, who currently oversees the site, said construction work came to a halt following a contractual dispute between the contractor and the government.

According to him, the matter is now before the courts.

The Chief Executive Officer of Amecben Enterprise, Benjamin Ngoswini, confirmed the existence of the legal dispute.

“I cannot speak much on the matter because we are currently in court over the project,” he said.

The prolonged delay has become a source of frustration for many residents in Navrongo and across the Upper East Region.

What was initially presented as a nine-month project has remained incomplete for nearly nine years, denying thousands of young people access to modern sports facilities, skills training opportunities and youth development programmes.

During a campaign visit to Navrongo ahead of the 2024 general election, the then Vice President and New Patriotic Party presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, assured chiefs and residents that the facility would be completed before the polls.

With the election now over and the project still abandoned, many residents are questioning when the long-delayed Youth Resource Centre will finally be completed.

Sports stakeholders, youth groups and community leaders continue to call on the government and all parties involved to resolve the legal and contractual issues holding up the project.

For many young people in the Upper East Region, the completion of the Navrongo Youth Resource Centre represents more than access to sports facilities. It is seen as a potential source of talent development, skills training, employment opportunities and community growth.

Until concrete action is taken, the unfinished multi-million cedi project will remain a visible reminder of unfulfilled promises and a missed opportunity for youth development in northern Ghana.