Danquah 'weeps' over poor stadia management culture in Africa

Accra, Oct. 22, GNA - 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 an

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).