The Executives and some members of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) have paid a courtesy call on the Minister for Youth and Sports, Hon Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, in Accra on Thursday 14th March,2013.

The visit was to congratulate the Minister on his appointment and to assure him of the support of the sporting media in developing and promoting sports in Ghana.

Hon. Afriyie-Ankrah described the sporting media as strategic to the Ministry in its effort to develop and promote sports in the country.

According to Mr Afriyie-Ankrah, his success as a Minister and the ministry as a whole would depend largely on the strategic role of the media.

He added that, he had over the past months interacted with stakeholders in sports and had learnt a lot of useful lessons that would help in the development of sports in Ghana.

The Minister assured the sporting media of his readiness to work with them as well as other stakeholders adding that, “I am operating an open door policy and ready to listen to all stakeholders”.

The President of SWAG, Mr Ackah Anthony, said his outfit was prepared to collaborate with the Minister to develop sports in the country.

He however called on the Minister to see to the re-structuring of the National Sports Authority (NSA) to make it more effective in its role as the main driver of sports development in the country.

According to the President, previous attempts at re-branding the NSA had not been effective adding that there was the need for more practical approach to re-branding the Authority.

He also called on the Minister to ensure that his plans of giving equal support to all sporting disciplines were effected, since other sporting disciplines had over the years not been given the needed support.

Mr Anthony also reminded the Minister of the need to re-introduce schools sports, to help to discover talents for the nation, adding that the nation has over the years benefited from talents discovered at such events.

“Schools sports which has over the years been the major source of our sporting talents, is gradually dying or dead, and there is the need to revive it with the needed urgency it requires”, He added.

Source: MOYS PR DEPARTMENT (Larry George Botchway)