Malta's First Gentleman Pays Courtesy Call On Sports Minister and GFA President

The Minister for Youth and Sports, Mr Isaac Kwame Asiamah, yesterday, hosted the First Gentleman of Malta, Mr Edgar Preca, in Accra for discussions on bilateral relations in the area of sports development.

In his welcome remarks, Mr Asiamah described the visit as historic and one that would enhance improvement in sports development for the benefit of both countries.

Mr Asiamah said Ghana, with a vibrant sports industry, was determined to use sports as a tool to create more jobs for the youth and foster friendly relations among nations, adding that Malta and Ghana stood to benefit from the partnership.

He noted, however, that the local leagues and other sports disciplines needed financial support to grow them and make them more attractive for the patronage of the people.

In a statement, Mr Preca stressed the need to use sports to build strong bridges for economic benefit and to engage each other to bring peace and harmony to the two countries.

Mr Preca noted that sports served a great purpose for youth development and was a means to protecting the youth against bad habits in society.

He said as a country that wished to have a strong sports industry like Ghana, the government of Malta saw the need for knowledge sharing between the two countries.

He identified Rugby as a sport in which Malta had excelled and could, therefore, support Ghana in the development of that sport, adding that both countries should, however, support and participate in all sports disciplines.

At the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Mr Perca pledged Malta's readiness to open its doors to Ghana for the exchange of products and services.

Responding, Kwesi Nyantakyi, President, GFA, touted Ghana's achievements as one of the biggest football countries in Africa, with participation in FIFA World Cup tournaments over the years and the first African Country to have won the under-20 FIFA World Cup.

Ghana, Mr Nyantakyi said, therefore, had natural talents in sports which could be exported to Malta through exchange programmes, such as coaching, refereeing, players, sports administration and sports medicine.

Source: ISD (Aliyah Bayali)

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