Kofi Ampeah Woode
AWARDS CENTRE GH – a registered supplier of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) – has donated an astounding number of sports items to the Ghana Army Sports Teams, in fulfilment to a promise made in 2022, and to kit all 20 disciplines, towards the upcoming sports season of 2024/25.
The presentation of the colossal quantity of items on Monday 29 January 2024, at the Forecourt of the Odartey Wellington Block, Ghana Army Headquarters (AHQ), Burma Camp, Accra, was occasioned with the presentation of new batch of trophies won by the Sports Teams, to the outgoing Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) – Major General (Maj Gen) Thomas Oppong-Peprah.
In 2022, Mr Percy Paa Kwesi Amuah – Chief Executive Officer (CEO), AWARDS CENTRE GH donated jerseys, bags, balls, track suits and other accessories to the Army Sports Team at the same venue, and made a pledge, challenging them to win more medals for the Ghana Army, to merit his donating far more than he had done.
Since that presentation, the Army Sports Team has won and presented one hundred and seventy-five (175) medals, their latest being trophies and medals won by the Army Men and Women Volleyball Teams at the NASCO Volleyball Competition, jointly organized by the National Volleyball Association and NASCO Company Limited from 24 to 27 January 2024, at the El-Wak Sports Stadium, Accra.
Recently, the Ghana Army Boxing Gym won the Ghana Boxing Professional League with 47 points, to take home a brand new Renault Car, which will be presented to the COAS in the 2nd week of February 2024.
The Army Men and Women Volleyball Teams both won the ultimate prizes, as well as individual prizes, such as, Men Division: BEST MIDDLE BLOCKER – Warrant Officer Class Two (WO11) Agbevanu Jordan; BEST LIBERO – Private (Pte) Ntim Isaac; BEST OUTSIDE HITTER and MOST VALUABLE PLAYER – Pte Yakubu Mohaamed; and BEST SETTER – Pte Ziblim Issahaaku.
For the Female Division: BEST OUTSIDE HITTER and MOST VALUABLE PLAYER was won by Corporal Rashaka Katadat, and BEST SETTER by Miss Esther Assumang.
Mr Amuah, in return, made a presentation of 200 Ghana Army-branded sets of jerseys for home games, 200 sets for away encounters, 200 sets of branded Ghana Army track suits for all the teams, training bibs, bench bibs for all reserve teams, socks for basketball, hose for football, 10 footballs, 5 basketballs, 5 handballs, 5 volleyballs, and other accessories.
Additionally, the Army Athletics Team participated in the 1st National Athletics Open Championship at Cape Coast, Central Region of Ghana, on Friday 26 January 2024, and won fourteen (14) Medals: Gold – 7, Silver – 6, Bronze – 1.
Since the rejuvenation of Army sports by General Oppong-Peprah, Mr Paa Kwesi Amuah has been at the forefront by way of support in cash and in kind for the Army Sports Teams, and materially, for the Ghana Navy and Ghana Air Force Sports Teams.
At the presentation, Paa Kwesi also presented prototypes of the jerseys presented, and a custom-made baseball military camouflage cap with three (3) stars embossed on it, to Maj Gen T Oppong-Peprah, for his use upon his promotion as the Ghana Armed Forces’ Chief of the Defence Staff, when he attends sporting events.
General Oppong-Peprah, who seemed bewildered by the various outstanding outputs, awards and presentations, simply clapped and cheered.
Present for the occasion were the Chief Staff Officer (CSO), AHQ – Brigadier General Barima Brako Owusu, his Deputies, Senior and Staff Officers of the AHQ, Army Sergeant Major, Senior Warrant Officers, Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, Defence Civilian Staff, a team from AWARDS CENTRE GH, a representative of CAL Bank – Madam Ama Adu Asare and the father of Paa Kwesi – Mr Obiri Armah.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
