A volleyball court constructed at a cost of GH¢213,490 in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region has remained unused for more than two years after young people in the community rejected the facility, an investigation by The Fourth Estate has found.
The facility, constructed in 2024 under the World Bank-funded Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) Project, was intended to provide recreational opportunities for young people in the area.
However, residents say the project did not reflect their sporting interests, with football being the dominant sport among young people in the community.
Twenty-three-year-old Godwin Akurubire says the money could instead have been used to improve the existing community football park, which attracts young people regularly.
“There are no volleyball players in Bongo. Even if the Assembly were bent on spending the money on sporting activity, it should have been our football park. What all the youth here like is football,” he said.
Another resident, 20-year-old Rodney Aduko, questioned the usefulness of the facility, saying young people continue to use the community football park while the volleyball court remains largely abandoned.
The Assembly Member for the Bongo-Atampiisi Electoral Area, Mba Asampana, where the facility is located, has also described the project as a “waste of state resources” and raised concerns about its safety.
He further claimed that assembly members were not consulted before the decision to construct the facility was taken.
The Fourth Estate’s investigation also found that the GH¢213,490 project was originally expected to include a urinal, but Assembly officials said the amount allocated was insufficient to complete that component.
Bongo District Planning Officer Kugoriba Thomas, however, defended the project, saying it was intended to provide inclusive recreational opportunities for young people and help keep them away from social problems.
Questions have also been raised about the design of the court.
Abdul-Rahman Danladi, head coach of Ghana’s senior women’s national indoor volleyball team, told The Fourth Estate that the elevated and narrow design could pose safety risks to players.
He suggested expanding the area around the court or constructing a lower platform to reduce the risk of players falling from the elevated surface while chasing the ball.
The situation has renewed questions about community participation in the selection and design of development projects, particularly where public funds are committed to facilities that are not being used by their intended beneficiaries.
Source: The Fourth Estate
