Accra, March 1 (IANS) Ghanian Youth and Sports Minister Clement Kofi Humado has advised the youths to actively join sports to harness its enormous benefits and become ambassadors of the West African country.
In a message to the Youth Development Through Sports (YDS) projects here Wednesday, Humado said sports remained undoubtedly a very powerful tool for youth development and the overall progress of a nation, according to Xinhua.
“This is because sports help in the physical and mental development of man and also has the potential of keeping the youths away from harmful practices such as drugs, substance abuse and other social vices,” he said.
He expressed his appreciation to the German International Development Cooperation (GIZ) and Youth Development Through Football (YDF) South Africa for their financial and material support in building the capacity of members of YDS.
YDA Board chairman Kodwo Morgan reiterated the organisation’s commitment to using sports as a tool to address challenging developmental issues facing various communities across the country.
The YDS, a network organisation, serves as a platform to link non-profit groups, including state institutions, that use sports as a tool for social development and focus on fostering relations among the member organisations.
The YDS project, which emerged out of the experiences of the 2006 World Cup held in South Africa, is jointly financed by the German government and the European Union. It has been implemented in 10 countries including South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, and Mozambique, among others.
