Danquah ‘weeps’ over poor stadia management culture in Africa
The Executive Chairman of RICS Consult Limited, Magnus Rex Danquah, has regretted the alarming state of the deterioration of stadia across Africa due to their poor management systems.
Rex Danquah observed that most of the stadia constructed to host and organize various editions of the Africa Cup of Nations were becoming mere white elephants largely due to the unprofessional management systems.
The Executive Chairman who was the Chief Operating Officer of the Local Organisinmg Committee of the Ghana 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, made this remarks during the launch of the “The Business of Sport in Africa’ magazine in Accra and noted that Governments can only accrue the huge investments in the construction of such facilities if creative and innovative strategies are adopted.
Rex Danquah who acts as the Editor of the magazine said the experiences of Burkina Faso (1998), Mali (2002), Tunisia (2004) and Angola (2010) makes it imperative to take a second look at stadia management in Africa because the country’s economies cannot sustain a near-wastage in that enterprise.
He said it is line with this disturbing syndrome that led to the idea of the establishment of ‘The Business of Sport in Africa’ magazine which will address such issues backed with solutions.
“The magazine will consider how we can use best practices elsewhere to deal with this situation, considering that such new commercial strategies as stadium economics, financing, naming rights, ticketing and hospitality, match-day revenues and diversified revenues, so we can sustain new stadia construction across Africa.”
Rex Danquah added that the coming editions of the magazine will highlight on the issue of merchandising and licensing which serves as the remedy to the high levels of ambush-marketing against rights owners and holders in order to strengthen brands of sponsors and owners.
He also announced the establishment of the Ethel-Jane Sports Business School, the first of its kind on the Africa continent in respect of sports business and event management and said the main campus will be in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis.
“We are projecting under our 25-year Programme of Work (2012-2037) to produce 500,000 graduates through various programmes – short proficiency certificates, diplomas, under-graduate and post-graduate degree programmes and courses as well as for continuing education.
“The vision is to build the human resource capacity for sports, arts, music and culture; facilitate the creation and development of new career paths and professions for Africans to grow the emerging sports business, events management, sports tourism, music and cultural industries management.
Rex Danquah mentioned that the intent is that those graduates will act as the vehicle to facilitate and support the uninterrupted rapid growth of sports business and related activities into self-sustaining and veritable competing industries in Africa.
“This project will offer five faculties, made up of Sports Management; Sports Marketing Communications; Sports Arts and Humanities; Sports Sciences and Events, Music and Cultural Industries Management.”
The 52-page magazine is under the management of RICS Consult Limited, a leading integrated marketing communication consultancy firm in collaboration with Ethel-Jane Sports Business School (EJSBS).
Source: GNA