Nii Lante Vanderpuye vows accountability over stalled youth resource centres project

Former Ghanaian Minister of Youth and Sports, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, has committed to ensuring full accountability for funds allocated to the Youth Resource Centres project, which has faced significant delays and criticism.

The project, initiated by the current administration in 2018, aimed to build 10 multipurpose Youth and Sports Resource Centres across the country.

Each facility was designed to include a 10,000-seat FIFA-standard football pitch, athletic tracks, tennis and basketball courts, a gymnasium, a youth ICT hub, and more.

The centres were intended for locations including Kaneshie, Ho, Koforidua, Axim, and Yendi, with completion expected within nine months.

Despite the investment of millions of dollars, only the Koforidua and Ho centres have been commissioned, leaving the rest incomplete and neglected.

The situation has sparked widespread concern and calls for a probe into the use of funds.

Speaking in an interview with ChannelOne Sports, Vanderpuye, who is the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate for the Odododiodio Constituency, promised that if the NDC wins the 2024 elections, the government will ensure the remaining centres are completed and misused funds recovered.

"Any facility that government and taxpayers' money has been spent on will be completed and used for its intended purpose," he declared.

Vanderpuye added that an investigation would be launched to determine if funds were used responsibly, with a commitment to recover any misappropriated amounts.

He also made it clear that he would demand accountability from those responsible for the project's current state, stating, "I will not inherit a problem I didn’t cause, and I will ensure I have answers for any issues that arise in the future."