Mahama Questions Government’s High Spending on Stadia, Cites $13m Tarkwa GoldFields Model

President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the huge sums government spends on stadium projects compared to similar facilities delivered by private entities.

Addressing the media on Wednesday night, the President referenced the newly constructed Tarkwa GoldFields Stadium as a shining example of cost efficiency in sports infrastructure.

According to him, the 10,000-capacity facility — built to international standards — was completed at a cost of just $13 million.

“Tarkwa GoldFields built a standard stadium for their football activities, and I was surprised to learn it cost about $13 million,” Mahama noted. “When government builds a stadium, it ends up costing hundreds of millions. Those of you who have seen the Tarkwa facility can testify it is standard and accommodates about 10,000 people.”

Mahama stressed that if a private mining company could deliver such a project at that cost, then government should be able to replicate the same without excessive expenditure.

He further revealed that the state has contacted the architects and designers behind the Tarkwa project with the view of replicating it in other parts of the country that lack modern stadia.

“We’ve asked to identify the architect, the designers, and everyone involved in the Tarkwa project so that we can replicate it in regions that don’t have stadiums,” the President explained.

The Upper East Region, he disclosed, has already been earmarked as one of the beneficiaries of this new initiative.