TnA Stadium History: Tarkwa MP’s Role In Construction Eulogized 

 The Member of Parliament (MP) for Tarkwa-Nsuaem Constituency, George Mireku Duker, has been eulogized for his significant role in the construction of the 10,000-seater TNA Stadium, previously called ‘TNA Park’ in Tarkwa by mining giant, Goldfields Ghana Limited.

The MP, who is said to be the brain behind the edifice, mooted the idea for reconstruction of the park in 2008, when he was the then Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Tarkwa-Nsuaem, under the erstwhile President John Agyekum Kuffour administration.

Recounting the events that brought about the over $13million edifice which is about to be commissioned, Ing. Wisdom Edem Gomashie, an aide to the lawmaker recalls, how Mr Duker at the time brought all the mining companies together, to agree to the reconstruction of the park.

However, Ing. Gomashie, said the project was abandoned, because the said mining firm lost steam, after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) lost power and exited office during the 2008 general elections.

But as fate would have it, Mr Duker, during his 2016 elections campaign, when he first contested to become the MP, has constantly since entering parliament, promised the good people of Tarkwa-Nsuaem, a befitting Sports Arena.

Ing. Gomashie, said on June 24, 2017, at a public function in Tarkwa, Mr Duker, who is presently a Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources in-charge of Mines, announced that he has contracted a consultant to design the TNA Park to international standard.

On July 21, 2017, he said the MP, assembled representatives of Goldfields Ghana Limited, Anglogold Ashanti, Iduapriem Mine, Ghana Manganese Company (GMC), African Mining Services, Ecobank, NIB, Access Bank, MTN Ghana, GT Bank, OBO Betterman and all the media houses in Tarkwa Municipal at Hotel de Hilda.

“At the forum, Mr Duker unveiled the proposed TNA redevelopment design he consulted AESL to produce, to the cooperate organizations within Tarkwa who are willing to support his vision to uplift the face of the TNA park.

The then Chairman of the programme and Sustainable Development Manager of Goldfields Ghana Limited, Mr Robert Siaw, challenged cooperate organizations within Tarkwa, especially the mining companies to show commitment in the project, since the project when constructed, will go a long way to sell the companies outside Tarkwa,” Ing. Gomashie recounts in an article copied The Anchor.

According to him, Mr Duker whiles speaking at the programme, stated that “the new TNA park will have a new dressing room, reconstruction of the pitch, construction of seats, construction of shade, construction of car park and mounting of a score board”.

“The representatives of the mining companies led by Mr. Samuel Noi, Acting Managing Director (MD) of AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Limited expressed their willingness to make the MP’s initiative a success and demanded for a copy of the presentation for their internal deliberation of the project”.

Thereafter, he said “A nine-member committee was unveiled by Mr. Duker and were tasked to see to it that the project commenced before September 15, 2017”.

Members of the committee were; Mr Stephen Adjei – the Sustainability Manager of Anglogold Ashanti Iduapriem, Mr Robert Siaw – Sustainable Development Manager, GGL, Mr Jerry Fynn, (AMS), Mr Wisdom Adjei Mensah – the Human Resource (HR) Manager at Ghana Manganese Company, Mr Benson Ankomah – (Manager, NIB), Mr Kennedy Ofosuhene (MTN), Mr Perry Mensah – a representative of the MP, Mr Josiah of Space FM (Rep from the media house) and Mr Emmanuel Biney, from OBO Betterment.

Subsequently, Ing. Gomashie said “Goldfields Ghana Limited through the Goldfields Community Trust Fund Board (of which Hon. George Mireku Duker was and still a member), through his instrumentality and the support of the then Executive Vice President, Goldfields West Africa, Mr Alfred Baku, the reconstruction of the TNA Stadium was discussed extensively by the trust fund and eventually, Goldfields Ghana Limited, accepted the proposal and decided to fund it single-handedly”.

He concluded by extending gratitude to the MP, the mining firms, as well as other stakeholders, whose contributions have yielded the significant sports infrastructure which is expected to be the home ground of Ghana Premier League defending champions, Medeama SC, when officially commissioned and handed over to the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Assembly.

“On this day, we thank Goldfields Ghana Limited, Hon. George Mireku Duker – MP, Tarkwa-Nsuaem, the NPP government for some fiscal exemption support and all stakeholders for this achievement,” he concluded.