The Gold Fields Ghana Foundation have handed over the newly constructed and refurbished the Tarkwa & Abosso (T&A) Stadium in the country’s Western Region to the National Sports Authority.
The rehabilitation work on the T&A Stadium, constructed in Tarkwa, the capital of the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal Assembly, started in January 2020 and was completed in June thisyear at a cost of US$16.2m.
This significant investment by the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation has transformed the 400-seat football park into an 8,000-plus seater world-class stadium, capable of hosting international matches.
The T & A stadium will serve as Tarkwa’s Ghana Premier League team, Medeama SC, which Gold Fields has supported for a number of years and who were last year crowned champions for the 2022/2023 season.
”The construction of the stadium will not only have a sporting impact,” says Michael Akafia, Gold Fields Ghana’s Vice-President External Affairs and current President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines.
“The game of football has the potential of fostering social cohesion between communities. We decided on the investment after a comprehensive stakeholder consultative and engagement process with our host communities.
“The aim was also to provide a sustainable and environmentally friendly stadium for the people of Tarkwa and surrounding communities.
“It is expected to boost business activities, nurture young talent, and facilitate the development of football in Ghana, including women’s football,” Akafia says.
“In this, he adds, the impact of the stadium aligns with Gold Fields’ purpose of creating enduring value beyond mining.”
The stadium was constructed in line with FIFA’s sustainable building guidelines using
building materials from sustainable sources and to be energy and water efficient.
The contractor, Micheletti & Co, and several subcontractors employed 924 people from Tarkwa and surrounding communities in the construction of the stadium.
The T&A Stadium is the most recent project completed by the Gold Fields Foundation, which is committed to improving social and economic conditions in stakeholder communities through
programmes in infrastructure development, education, health, water & sanitation, agriculture, and enterprise development.
Furthermore, the Foundation which receives funding from Gold Fields Ghana’s Tarkwa and Damang mines, has spent over US$100m over the past two decades.
And this support is part of their initiative to ensure sustainable socio-economic development in host communities and strengthen Gold Fields’ social licence to operate.
By: Dennis ‘Ivan’ Opoku Kyeremeh (YFM 102.5 Kumasi)