Story By Nsor Paul Mensah
The National Paralympic Committee (NPC) has scheduled October 4, 2024, as the date for their Elective Congress.After the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris-France.
The the date was scheduled by its members at the Extraordinary General Assembly meeting which was held in Accra yesterday 20th April 2024.
Over twenty member federations unanimously endorsed the proposals for the Elective Congress
They also finalized on the membership annual affiliation fees of One Thousand Ghana Cedis to help the board in all its management duties.
Other issues that were discussed include Consideration for approval of Annual Membership Fees, Consideration for approval of New Para Sports and their respective Federations/Associations (Adaptive Boxing, Boccia Sports, Para Biathlon, Wheelchair Rugby, Para Archery, Wheelchair Softball,and Amendments to Article 2 Membership: Sections 1 to 5.
In attendance were the Deputy Minister for Youth & Sports Hon. Bobie Ansah and members of Ghana Sports Supporters.
The Congress also approved its membership annual affiliation fees of One Thousand Ghana Cedis to help the board in all its management duties and other activities.
President of the NPC Ghana Samson Deen commended all the federations who attended and called for peace and unity among the rank and file of disabled sports associations and personnel in Ghana.
He thanked the media who attended the Congress in numbers and managed to question some recent misunderstandings within the para-sports fraternity in Ghana.
Para Table Tennis and Boccia Para Sports, among others, were accepted as new members of the Ghana National Paralympic Committee.
With ten para federations, the General Assembly of the Ghana Paralympic Committee formed a quorum out of thirteen to admit the sports federations that successfully qualified the constitutional provision and Ghana’s Sports Regulations 2023 L.I. 2477.
Some notable sports federations that practiced or existed before 2019 and are affiliated with international sports federations with notable ones like Para Table Tennis, Boccia Para Sports, Amputee Football Association, Para Soft, Para Teqball, Para Judo, and Adaptive Boxing.
“Per the constitutional amendments, all recognized disability sports must register and be members of the NPC Ghana by default,” said the President.
The president Mr. Samson Deen has declared his intention to go for re-election to sustain the achievements gained since he became president of Ghana and Africa.
During his tenure, Ghana hosted the first African Para Games and first-ever Extraordinary Congress which was well attended.
The federations invited the EGA include Para Athletics, Para Powerlifting, Sitting Volleyball / Para Volleyball, Shooting Para Sports, Para Swimming, Wheelchair Basketball, Para-Badminton, Para-Taekwondo, Para-Cycling Federation, and Wheelchair Tennis,
Others are the Blind Sports Federation, Cerebral Palsy Sports, Blind Football, Adaptive Boxing, Boccia Sports, Para Biathlon, Wheelchair Rugby, Para Archery, Wheelchair Softball, National Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Assoc. of Ghana, Amputee Football Association of Ghana and Para Table Tennis.
Background
On July 6, 2019, the NPC-Ghana General Assembly elected Samson Deen as the president, alongside seven (7) other officers including Mr Frederick Otu – Vice President, Mr Peter Adjei – Secretary General, Mr. Evans Yeboah – Treasurer, as well as Mr Twum Barimah, Ibrahim Saani, Philip Otuo, Henry Larbi as members.