Navrongo (U/E), Dec 14, GNA – As part of efforts to foster and sustain peace and unity among the people of the Navrongo Traditional Area in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality of the Upper East Region, Pe Denis Aneakwoa Balinia Adda Asagpaare II, the Paramount Chief of the area has launched a football gala aimed at fostering unity among the youth.
The maiden tournament dubbed, “Inter-Community Soccer Tournament”, seeks to consolidate the prevailing peace in the area, address issues affecting youth development, and pull resources together to address the needed development challenges.
It is also to enable the youth in the area to unearth their talents and potentials and create a platform in which stakeholders in the traditional area could interact to find solutions to youth indiscipline and unemployment.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the launch in Navrongo, Pe Asagpaare II noted that meaningful development could only thrive and be sustained in the midst of peaceful coexistence and identified football as a conduit for unifying people.
He said it was against this background that the soccer gala which would be held on an annual basis is being implemented to bring the various communities together under one umbrella to ensure that they fought their collective development and improvement of livelihoods especially among the vulnerable.
The Paramount Chief explained that the youth in the area were endowed with talents particularly in the area of football, and added that the tournament would help expose the raw talents to potential organizations, and individuals who could support them to fully realize them.
“A lot of people made it in life through football because it is not all about education, everybody has his or her talent, so if the school does not favor you, maybe your hands or legs would favor you,” he said
The Paramount Chief underscored the importance of the tournament to create an opportunity for him to engage with the youth of the area to discuss various issues relevant to their development and the development of their various communities.
Aside from the football tournament, the Traditional Area according to the chief was determined to work with development partners and major stakeholders in ensuring that programmes and projects were initiated to support the growth and development of the youth in the area”.
“Some of the youth of Navrongo are into many vices and I believe it is because they have got nothing doing, that is why they going astray, so I want to bring them back and engage them into doing something that would benefit them,” he added.
The Paramount Chief expressed gratitude to Denys Engineers and Contractors Limited, a construction firm, C.K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Guinness Ghana, Navrongo Goil Service Station Fan Milk among others for their support towards the tournament.
Mr. Gabriel Adobi Balinia, the Chairman of the Planning Committee of the Tournament noted that the tournament would officially begin on December 15, 2021, and end on January 20, 2022, with 16 teams from 13 communities participating.
He said two venues would be used for the tournament and be played according to the internationally recognized rules and regulations under the supervision of the Kassena-Nankana Municipal Football Association.
GNA