Accra — ECOWAS and Ghanaian officials have evaluated the implementation of the road map for the Second ECOWAS Games to be hosted by Ghana in June 2012.

The road map which covers the activities undertaken from April 2011 delineates the responsibilities to be executed by Ghana and those to be undertaken by the Ouagadougou-based ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre which is coordinating the Games on behalf of the ECOWAS Commission.

Nigeria hosted the inaugural edition of the Under-23 regional Games in 2010 with competitions in four sports - athletics, handball, volleyball and traditional wrestling. Boxing will feature for the first time in this edition of the Games, which is an opportunity for interaction among the youth of the region.

They also contribute to the integration of sports stakeholders in the region, enable Member States to develop their future sports elite, strengthen the economic base for sports and promote a sense of belonging among the participants.

The second joint meeting, which ended in Accra on 9th March 2012, also reviewed the time-table for the Games, agreed additional tasks for the successful organization of the Games and modalities for the implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding recently signed between the ECOWAS Commission and the Government of Ghana on the Games.

The participants also inspected proposed venues for the sports. Ghana's Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, who heads the Games' Local Organizing Committee, chaired the joint meeting which also reviewed the implementation of the decisions of the first meeting, as well as discussed the programme and the requirements related to referees and judges to be invited to officiate at the Games. Dr. Boamah used the opportunity to reaffirm Ghana's determination to ensure successful Games not only in terms of providing appropriate facilities but also contributing to the realization of the objective.

The ECOWAS delegation to the meeting was led by the Director of the Youth and Sports Development Centre, Mr. Francis Chuks Njoaguani, who expressed satisfaction with the country's preparations for the Games. He assured that the Commission would continue to engage with the country to ensure a hitch- free competition.

The joint meeting was followed by that of the Games Technical Committee which, among other issues, discussed measures to mobilize sports federations in Member States towards a successful hosting and approved the final regulations for the Games.

The Committee also made various proposals for improving the facilities proposed for the sports, to ensure that they satisfied best practices.