By Rihana Adam
Accra, June 18, GNA – The African Paralympic Committee (AfPC) in partnership with the World Para Powerlifting Organization (WPPO) and World Para Volleyball (WPV) has organized a four-day Regional Para Sports Training Course in Accra.
The training is aimed at building and developing the technical capacities of personnel across Africa.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Mustapha Ussif Minister for Youth and Sports commended the international federations for selecting Ghana to facilitate such programme for the development and accelerate the growth of Para Sports on the continent.
He said, “The Ministry is very much aware of the potential of sports in creating opportunities for the citizens, especially the youth”.
He said, “The Ministry sees the Regional Programme as very important and a catalyst for the capacity development of all participants with the appropriate knowledge and skills needed for para sports development and promotion on our continent”.
He added that “in a few months, Ghana would host the rest of Africa in the 1st African Para Games, Accra 2023, the first of its kind in Africa.
“I am not surprised that Ghana was chosen to host this technical training, thus helping train and prepare various technical personnel for the Games,” he stated.
He said, “on behalf of the President, government, and the good people of Ghana I invite you all and look forward to seeing you all again in Ghana come September for the Accra 2023 African Para Games”.
Mr. Samson Deen, President of the AfPC and National Paralympic Committee (NPC) of Ghana thanked the African Paralympic Committees and its partners for choosing Ghana to host the second edition of the AfPC Regional Sports Training Program in Ghana.
He said, “over 100 participants selected from 15 African countries for the four-day Regional Sports Training including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote Ivoire, Mali, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Togo, the Gambia, Liberia, Madagascar, Senegal, Nigeria, Seychelles, Guinea and host Ghana with 13 course instructors and IPC officials participated in the course”.
He said the NPC-Ghana was proud to host this training which served as a prelude and precursor to the 1st African Para Games, Accra 2023 slated for September 3-13 this year.
He said, “the four-day training course is being organised in two sports disciplines, namely, Para Powerlifting and Para or Sitting Volleyball with six separate courses including Technical Officials Coaching Course, Classifier course and Training Camp in Para Powerlifting, as well as two courses in Sitting Volleyball – Coaching and Referees courses”.
He said certificates would be awarded at the end of the training based on assessment and merit.
He said, “I wish to urge our course participants to take the training seriously to account for the purpose of coming here and leverage the sports in your respective countries”.
GNA