NLA Good Causes gone bad: Sammi Awuku’s GHC 2 million AstroTurf left to rot

An artificial grass pitch, otherwise known as AstroTurf, and a sports arena in Akuapim Akropong, funded for by the National Lottery Authority’s Good Causes Foundation at GHC 2 million, now lies in ruins — just a year after construction.

Without a single game ever having been played on it, part of the turf has been ripped into pieces, exposing the gravel under it.

Weeds have colonised sections of the turf, including the goal posts, while creeping plants climb over the goalposts and fences of the 578-seater capacity sports facility.

Residents say the pitch, located in a low-lying area of the Akuapem hills, was severely damaged after a downpour.

The damage occurred before the contractor, Wembley Sports Construction Company, could hand the facility over to the community.

The Fourth Estate found that funds were advanced to the contractor in tranches from the Good Causes Foundation.

Residents who asked not to be named for fear of retribution told The Fourth Estate that the project, now on what was then known as Ademi Park, was doomed from the start.

“No matter how many times they fix this astroturf, it won’t last,” said one resident. “This land is waterlogged. If the contractor had asked us, we would have told him that what we need here is natural grass.”

“The park was where we did all our school games when I was in primary,” said a 29-year-old unemployed graduate. “Now, because the contractor refused to consult us, he has destroyed the land by building only a soccer pitch. Even the drainage he built makes it impossible to create athletic tracks.”

Contractor shifts blame

When The Fourth Estate contacted Robert Coleman, the CEO of Wembley Sports Construction Company, he denied abandoning the project, placing responsibility on Sammi Awuku, former NLA Director General, now the MP for the area.

“I am a contractor. Speak to the MP,’ he said. “It’s the MP who commissioned me to do it.”

According to Mr. Coleman, the drainage system constructed for the pitch is unable to handle the volume of water during heavy rains, leaving the field flooded.

“[A different contractor] did the drain, but it cannot accommodate the water, so it has been gushing onto the pitch. I have requested that they fix the drainage, then I will go and do the finishing touches because the drainage system was not part of my contract,” he explained

He added that the work was completed on his side and that he had written to Mr. Awuku “several times” to give him a date for commissioning.

The contractor also added that once a solution is found for the drain, he will return to the site and repair all damages.

Residents told The Fourth Estate that the astroturf has not only deteriorated but also deprived the town of access to its only sports venue.

According to them, the field hosted inter-school tournaments and community games before the MP decided to convert it into an astroturf, which is primarily used for football. With the turf now in poor condition, residents say they have been denied their main playground, compelling them to always seek permission from Okuapeman Senior High School to use its facilities.

They say that most of the time, their requests are denied to prevent disruption to teaching and learning.

“It’s very difficult for residents of Akropong to even organize games now,” said a pupil teacher in the town.

The residents are demanding the removal of the artificial carpet and the restoration of natural grass, which, according to them, is the only surface suited to the waterlogged land.