Sports Minister meets Ghana Cricket Association before African Games bow

Cricket is set to make its African Games debut at next year's event in Ghana's capital Accra ©Getty Images

Ghana's Minister of Youth and Sports Mustapha Ussif has met with officials from the Ghana Cricket Association to discuss the development of the sport, which is due to debut at next year's African Games in Accra.

The Ghana Cricket Association is an associate member of the International Cricket Council, which it joined in 2002.

Cricket is set to be joined by arm wrestling and rugby union in making its first appearance at the African Games in 2023.

Ussif watched a training session during his visit to the Ghana Cricket Association's base, and congratulated officials on their work in developing the sport.

He also urged players to continue their dedication towards training, and vowed that the Ghanian Government would offer support.

I visited the @CricketGhana observe their training session. I congratulated them for their dedication and commitment to developing the sports. I also encouraged the athletes to remain dedicated to their training as the government remains committed to the development of sports. pic.twitter.com/ri3JXdst20
— Mustapha Ussif (@ussif_mustapha) October 19, 2022

Ghana is due to host the African Games for the first time next year from August 4 to 19, but growing uncertainty surrounds the multi-sport event.

The involvement of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa and the Association of African Sports Confederations is in doubt due to a contract dispute with the African Union.

Ghana is also facing an economic crisis due to record levels of inflation, and is seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund.

That has prompted former President John Mahama to urge the country to pull out of holding the African Games.