President John Dramani Mahama has revealed that the $13 million Tarkwa stadium built by GoldFields will be replicated in regions without stadia.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday night, September 10, 2025, John Mahama stated that the Sports Minister, Kofi Adams, is currently working on the design and costing of the projects.
He noted that if GoldFields can build a stadium in Tarkwa for $13 million, then the government, too, should be able to do the same.
He, however, lamented that when the Government of Ghana built a stadium, it cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
John Mahama stated, “We promised to build stadia in all the new regions and the regions that don’t have modern stadia. So, as I speak, the Ministry of Sports and Recreation is doing the design and costing of the stadia, and Upper East is one of the regions that has been captured to receive a new sports stadium”.
What we are doing is, Tarkwa GoldFields built a standard stadium for their football activities, and I was surprised to learn it cost about $13 million.
“When the Government of Ghana built a stadium, it cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Those of you who have been to Tarkwa and have seen the stadium, it’s a standard stadium, and it takes about 10,000 people. So, if GoldFields built it for $13 million, then the government too should be able to do the same,” he explained.
Mahama further disclosed that the government has contacted the architects and designers of the Tarkwa project.
“So, we’ve asked them to find out the architect, the designers, and everybody who worked on the stadium, so that we can replicate it in other regions that don’t have stadia,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Kofi Adams, the Minister for Sports and Recreation, has announced plans for a 50,000-capacity stadium at the Borteyman Sports Complex.
According to him, the Mahama government plans to turn the facility into a modern sports city of international standards.
Kofi Adams noted the infrastructural challenges confronting Ghana’s sports sector, adding that the Mahama government is committed to upgrading facilities to international standards.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, Mr. Adams explained, “We are looking to have a new stadium of that size around our Borteyman Sports Complex. Because we want to elevate that whole space into a sports city or village so that international clubs can come and camp and train there.
“With such a facility, we will also add accommodation. When this is done, in the future, you will not see accommodation for the Black Stars on the national budget. But we are working on a PPP arrangement,” he explained.
Kofi Adams added, “We want to do a minimum of 50,000 in the Borteyman space, and we should be able to finish it before 2028,” he said.
Kofi Adams, in the same interview, noted that Sports can deliver more with proper investment.
He highlighted that sports, when properly managed, could deliver economic and social benefits that few other sectors can provide.
He argued that Morocco and South Africa are two African nations reaping major benefits from prioritising sports.
Kofi Adams explained, “Sports is a very promising sector. If handled and done well, it will be a huge lift for our country. Around the world, many countries have chosen to invest heavily in sports because it has achieved results that many other initiatives could not”.
“One thing about sports is that we are dealing with talent. So long as we continue to procreate, there will always be people with unique talents. That’s why investment in sports is never wrong. It is one sector that has shown consistent growth. While the returns may not come immediately, sports take a lot of stress off the government and the population,” he added.