Thank you sir and Now ladies and gentlemen it is with pleasure that I bring to the podium and the stage The Honorable minister of Youth and sports honorable Mustafa YF Mustafa Your Excellency Nana Adan kufu the president of the Republic your Excellency Dr alhaj mmud B the vice president of the Republic your Excellency Musa faki mhammed the chairperson of the African Union commission Madame Chief of Staff ministers and Deputy Ministers of State your Excellency the Ambassador minata samti suuma Au commissioner for health
Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development and also the chairperson for the 13th African games members of The Diplomatic core president of the association of African Sports Confederation Major General nazza chairman and members of the loc president of confederations heads of federations friends from the media distinguished invited guests ladies and
Gentlemen after several years of preparation for the hosting and organization of the 13th African games including the construction works and series of meeting I am trailed and privileged to be here today for the opening ceremony for the 13th African games ACR 2023 in October 2018 Ghana won
The bid to host the African games a decision which was a realization of a national dream as Ghana has never hosted African games since it Inception winning the bid to host the African games was welcoming but it also plac enormous responsibility on us to put in place the required infrastructure for such a
Multidisiplinary sports event as a nation and as a government we knew exactly what we were getting into and we launched our bid and we’re very committed to achieving it however as we started our preparation and look and launch forward to the Acra 2023 with optimism the whole world was hit by a
Devastating pandemic which th the global sporting calendar into disarray sheding for the major sporting disciplin including the 13 African games were affected leading to the resettling of the date today Acra 2023 has come a reality if Ghana has realized its agong National dream of hosting the African biggest sporting Festival it is because
Of the distinguished leadership of his Excellency the president of the Republic Nana ad danai kufu firstly it was the present Vision to bring African games to Ghana for the first time in our history and secondly when we Face a major setback in our preparation due to the effect of covid-19 pandemic and the
Impacts between the African Union and the association of the national Olympic Committee of Africa and also the association of African Sports Confederation his Excellency n danom remained Resolute demonstrated remarkable personal commitment to this project and ensured that all the hindrances were clear to make this history possible this would not have
Been possible without the commitment of Mr President Mr President on behalf of the sports family on the continent and the Youth of the the Youth of Africa I say thank you so much for your personal commitment in achieving this dream your Excellency bringing the African games to
Ghana your we are also leaving Ghana a legacy of unprecedented Sports infrastructure and Equipment which will possibly impact the development of sports in Ghana as well as sports for development to boost socioeconomic development of our motherland today thanks to the 1 African games KES his Excellency n kuf Ghana can boast of the
Finest multis sporting discipline facilities in the sub region this facility will continue to be useful not only to Ghana but to the ENT sub region for training and competition purposes this is a unique opportunity for Ghana and we are privileged and ready to deliver Unforgettable games for Africa
And the rest of the world before I conclude let me take this opportunity to commend my predecessor who led Ghana as a sports Minister and won the beat to host the 13th African games I also want to thank the African Union for giving Ghana the opportunity and his Excellency
Ambassador minata samati the the chairperson of the technical committee for the 13th African games for your effort the local organizing committee led by Dr kofu fasar deserve Commendation for their hard work however the job is not over yet until it is all over I believe you remain Fus and until
Ghana deliver the best ever games let me also use this opportunity to thank all our sponsors and partners especially the government and the people of Qatar for their equipment Support also taan China for their equipment support I welcome you to Ghana fellow Sports ministers from the rest of Africa over 5,000
Athletes two 3,000 technical officials 2,000 guests and 3,000 volunteers as well as our estimated two billion Global viewing audience who follow the games on on television and online welcome to Acra Ghana the beautiful city and Serene capital of Ghana where we are you should be rest assured Ghana renowned
Hospitality and I welcome you to the 13th African games which will truly be celebrated of African culture and also Sports of sporting Excellence thank you so much for your attention may God bless Ghana and bless African games and bless Africa thank you so much thank you sir Min
Must thank you sir and Now ladies and gentlemen with a resounding Round of Applause please bring to the podium his Excellency Musa faki Mah who is the chairman of the African Union commission his Excellency musaki Mammad Your Excellency Nana Adu danuu president of the Republic of Ghana honorable African ministers in charge of sport Ambassador minata STI suuma African Union commissioner for health humanitarian Affairs and Social Development your Excellency Ahmed Naser Mustafa Kamal president of the association of African Sports confederations representative of the president of the association of national
Olympic committees Anoka esteemed members of the African sport movement friends and fans around the world ladies and gentlemen welcome to the 13th edition of the African games and the first ever in Ghana it was time that the African games come to the land of kuam Kuma the credle of Pana
Africanism allow me to commend and thank his Excellency Nana Aku that the president of the Republic of Ghana who has provided extraordinary leadership and personal commitment to ensure that Ghana delivers a successful edition of the African games the vast political financial and material invest is yet another testment of your
Ening commitment Mr President to the idols of the African Unity Idols that are more urgent now than ever before I want to also thank the entire team of the local organizing committee Acra 2023 excellently led by honorable Mustafa usif minister of Youth and sport of Ghana special mention also goes to the
Co organizers the association of national Olympic committees Ana the association of African sport confederations alongside the African Union under the stewardship of au commissioner minata samate for your commitment and hard work to ensure that African games 2023 are successful there can be no successful African games without
Volunteers we are all grateful to the thousands of of dedicated volunteers who are being so generous with their time their energy and their welcoming smiles thank you to you all allow me now to call upon all stakeholders in the organization and management of the African games to ensure that the interests of the
Athletes remain at the center of all they are to do during these games in line with the African games governing instruments adopted by the Assembly of African head of state and governments the African Union would like to see more investment in sports infrastructure in communities and schools to give all young people an
Opportunity to reach their potential for Ghana you did it Master president ad do thank you very much I command all athletes who have earned a place at these games your talent your dedication and commitment brought you here you have earned yourselves an opportunity to become true ambassadors of
Africa however that honor is not determined by winning medals it is determined by how you respect the rules and your fellow competitors character counts far more than medals most importantly these African games are also an opportunity to highlight the values of fair play equality discipline inclusion perseverance tolerance and
Teamwork these are all key for building character and peaceful societies African athletes you have always honored the continent in your achievements in fact this year alone the African continent has performed extremely well in international sport competitions from the riby World Cup Paris 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia
And New Zealand the world athletic championship in Budapest to mention a few it is fulfilling to see you young people from all corners of our continent living together in harmony you are in competition with each other and yet you share meals you want to achieve your best and yet you understand each other
You want to win and yet you respect each other as you are all our ambassadors I you to play clean Sports demonstrate sportsmanship and inspire ire the Next Generation Sports is a powerful platform for human connection I see it here today I am particularly happy that today’s opening ceremony falls on
International women’s day on this day that reminds us of the urgency to fight for the equal representation and the participation of women and men in all spheres of life I am extremely happy to not that the upcoming Paris Olympic Games will have full gender parity for all competiting athletes investing in women and
Accelerating progress is this year’s un theme for international women’s day I call all African Union member states to accelerate investment in favor of women in all sectors including Sports in fact African family athletes many of them are here have set the needed example we must not fall
Behind indeed investing in sport is one of the best ways to implement our agenda 2063 representing over 60% of Africa’s population healthy and well educated young Africans you are the continent best vehicle to transform Africa a healthy mind in a healthy body as the Greek philosopher hypocrates once said
Is the basis for any positive human development as I see you here in this situation in this Stadium tonight with your vibrant energy and the enthusiasm I know that with you the Africa we want is no distant dream it is possible because yes we can Long Live Ghana long live the
African games Long Live Africa I thank you thank you very much your Excellency for those great great words mer and Now ladies and gentlemen it is simply an honor for me for the first time on this great Terrain in this wonderful City Cosmopolitan city of Acra
In what we like to call the Black Star the Republic of Ghana for the first time in our history to please bring to his Podium his Excellency the president of the Republic of Ghana Nana adod Dana akuu May [Applause] EX Mr Vice [Applause] president chairperson of the African Union
Commission the Au commissioner for sports Ghana’s Minister for Youth and sports and Member of Parliament for Yaba kui ministers Deputy Ministers of State members of parliament Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana chairperson of the local organizing committee the 13th African games Acra 2023 president of the association of
National Olympic Committees of Africa president of the association of African Sports confederations Chief director and officials of the ministry of Youth and sports Sportsmen and women of the 13th African games the dean and members of The Diplomatic Corp members of the media fellow ghans and fellow Africans ladies and
Gentlemen it is with immense pleasure and pride that I welcome all of you to the vibrant capital of our nation Acra and to the opening ceremony of the 13th African games Acra 2023 let me welcome in particular his Excellency Musa fakim Muhammad chairperson of the African Union commission pay for the last week
Acra the city known for its dynamism and warmth and the Ganan people Fame for their sense of hospitality open their arms to welcome each and every one of you these games should have taken place in August last year as the name AC Crow 2023 suggests our however we were
Compelled by factors beyond our control to push the games to March 2024 this taken a lot of courage to have persisted with the decision to host the games and I’m glad we went ahead today we in Ghana can be proud of the massive sporting infrastructure we
Have put in place for the games which will be a huge Legacy for the country our commitment to hosting these games is a testament to our belief in the transformative power of sports and the and its ability to inspire motivate and bring people together excellencies ladies and
Gentlemen in his 57 year history 67 year history this is the first time that Ghana is hosting the games despite our country being under the leadership ship of our first leader quam kma a founding member of the African games but as the saying goes it is better late than
Never the African games has a long history with the first edition being successfully organized in Congo brazaville in 1965 under the offices of the organization of African Unity now the African Union the Au continues to this day to uphold the founding principles and objectives of the African
Games if in the past the objective of the political independence of African countries today the main objective of the organization of the African games is to harness the value in sports to accelerate the unification and integration of the continent which is the true purpose of the African Union
With the building of the human capital of present and future generations of Africans it is for this reason that I’m particularly infused by the winning Africa and active Africa policies being implemented by the African Union commission under his farsighted chairperson his Excellency Musa faki Muhammad who is here with us today
These policies can best be realized through the holding of events such as the African games as well as the construction of sporting facilities and will amongst others unite African peoples across borders offer valuable opportunities for Youth Development including leadership skills teamwork discipline and resilience Drive Economic Development and invest ment in
Infrastructure tourism and Hospitality sectors across the continent and Serv as platforms for dialogue reconciliation and cooperation transcending political and social divides I can only ask the African Union commission to pursue this vision and help realize the objectives of au agenda 2063 and create the African we want excellences the 13th African games
Is a celebration of unity sportsmanship and Excellence across the African continent in a continent offering divided by needless differences this event serves as a Beacon of Hope reminding us of our shared Heritage and common aspirations As We Gather here today we embark on the Journey of commander and competition where Nations come together
To showcase the remarkable talent and spirit that refine us as Africans to the athletes gathered here today I extend my heartful congratulations for your dedication and determination in reaching this prestigious State you are the embodiment of perseverance and passion demonstrating the heights that can be achieved through hard work and
Commitment as you compete in the various disciplines over the coming days remember that your efforts Inspire countless individuals across the continent strive for excellence push your limits and showcase the immense talent that Africa possesses Africa is a continent of Rich diversity in incompass ing a multitude of cultures traditions and
Identities in celebrating the African Gams we Embrace this diversity and recognize the strength it brings to our Collective identity let us chish the unique contributions of each Nation represented here today for it is through embracing our differences that we truly come together as one African family in conclusion
I urge all participants to compete with the utmost integrity and sportsmanship honoring the values of fair play and mutual respect May the 13th African games be remembered not only for the medals one but also for the bonds for share together let us write a new chapter in the history of African Sports
One defined by Excellence unity and progress accordingly your excellencies ladies and gentlemen I have the great honor and privilege to declare the 13th African games officially open May the spirit of true competition guide us all in the days ahead and may God bless mother Africa and us all and
Make her great and strong I thank you for your [Applause] attention thank you very much his Excellency the president of the Republic of Ghana now officially opening the games mer EXC and with that said ladies and gentlemen here is the theme song If I may of the 13th African Games O N Beautiful and Now ladies and gentlemen now that you’ve heard the theme song of the 13th African games it’s important for us to take you through the swearing in of the athletes and the judges first of all let allow me to welcome the ganade basketball sensation as a queen
Dy who will take the oath on behalf of all athletes taking part in the 13th all Africa games African Games Afri yes in the name of all the competitors I promise that we shall take part in these African games respecting and abiding by the rules that govern them in the true Spirit of sportsmanship for the glory of sports and the honor of our teams in the name of all participants and all African
Sportsmen we affirmed that we are determined to contribute and Safeguard our exemplary behavior during the games and at all other African games un sorry and at at all other occasions of African unity and [Applause] Brotherhood marok In the name of all the judges and officials I promise that we shall officiate these 13th African games with complete impartiality respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them in true Spirit of Sportsman ship thank you thank you Anita yes sir Now ladies and gentlemen the games are officially open
The swearing of the athletes has happened I would like to ask respectfully that you give a round of applause to our athletes who are now going to be exiting to their various quarters actually they’re going to be joining us of course but please another round of applause because these are the individuals who
Will be hoisting the flags of our individual countries but our United Africa up high and as we ask them to take leave we also ask them to remember the essence of the all African games it is Excellence it is fraternity it is Sisterhood it is Unity but like you know
His Excellency said most importantly it is respect and understanding of one another f
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