The 500-seater facility which is expected to be completed in 15 months will also have a VIP seating area, flood lights, changing rooms, offices, car parking space, among other features.

The construction of the facility is part of the commitment of the electric power producer to identify and nurture potentials of the youth through football in the project affected communities.

In 2022, the authority introduced an initiative dubbed Talent Development Programme (TDP) to nurture the potential of young people through football in the area.

Football talents

Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony at Bui last Thursday, the CEO of the organisation, Samuel Kofi Dzamesi, said five young football talents were selected during the inaugural batch of talent-hunt initiative, and they had been subsequently sponsored to undergo further development at the John Painstil Football Academy.

He expressed the hope that the facility would not only serve as a haven for sporting activities but also act as a catalyst for a range of recreational pursuits that would enrich the lives of residents and the staff of BPA.

Initiatives

He highlighted the establishment of a 5MW floating solar plant on the Bui Reservoir, the Bui Sugar Factory, establishment of a Cashew Processing Plant, granting of scholarships and the provision of clean drinking water through mechanised boreholes among some of the impactful initiatives embarked upon by the authority in the development of their host communities. 

He said the sugar factory was already providing more than 500 jobs with a projection to create over 1,000 jobs next year when it began full operations.

The Bono Regional Minister, Justina Owusu-Banahene, urged the BPA to include all aspects of the sporting activities in its talent-identification programme.

She also appealed to the power producer and the stakeholders to consider adding female football players to the programme in order to promote women's football.

The minister urged the contractor to recruit locals in the construction of the mini stadium and encouraged the residents, especially the youth, to support the contractor to speed up work, and also advised parents to create the enabling environment for their children to develop their talents.

The Chief of Bui, Nana Kwadwo Wuo II, appealed to the government to create a buffer zone to protect the Bui generation plant from illegal activities.