Repairs to the floodlights at Accra Sports Stadium are expected to cost between GH¢1.5m and GH¢2m, but may not be completed before Ghana’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Somalia in November.
Acting Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Prof. Emmanuel Osei Sarpong, said the extent of the damage and the specialist work required meant he could not guarantee when the stadium would be ready for evening football.
“Maybe between 1.5 million and 2 million. Because it’s a huge thing,” he told Citi Sports.
The floodlight system was damaged during a rainstorm on 29 April, when heavy rain and strong winds hit the Accra Sports Stadium. One of the lighting towers suffered substantial structural damage, with other sections of the system also affected.
The NSA must now establish the full condition of the equipment before deciding how the restoration work will be carried out. The repairs are expected to require specialised machinery, cranes and work on the metal structures that support the floodlights.
Prof. Osei Sarpong said the authority could not assure the public that the system would be operational before Ghana’s matches against Somalia.
“The floodlights are a concern. I can’t promise that before our game against Somalia it would be fixed. If I tell you that, I’m not being honest,” he said.
Ghana’s AFCON qualifiers against Somalia are scheduled for November, leaving limited certainty over whether Accra Sports Stadium will be able to host fixtures requiring full lighting after dark.
The stadium remains an important football venue in Ghana, but the damaged floodlights have restricted its ability to stage evening matches. Prof. Osei Sarpong indicated that the lights could still be used for other programmes, although they are not regarded as suitable for football fixtures that need the complete system.
Engineers are expected to assess the damage before any repair work starts. The acting director-general said the NSA wanted to deliver a lasting solution instead of rushing the process to meet the national team’s November schedule.
That assessment will determine the precise scale of the damage and the work needed to return the floodlights to an acceptable standard. The estimated cost of GH¢1.5m to GH¢2m reflects the structural repairs and specialist equipment involved, rather than routine maintenance.
The NSA’s immediate priority is therefore to inspect the damaged installation and determine the most effective method of restoring it. Until that process is complete, the authority cannot confirm whether the floodlights will be available for Ghana’s November qualifiers against Somalia.
