Director overseeing volunteers for the 13th African Games, Juliana Addo-Yobo has reassured that the Ministry of Sports is actively addressing concerns raised by volunteers.
On Tuesday, March 26th, 2024, volunteers expressed frustration over what they perceived as a failure by authorities to fulfill the promised GH¢2,500 compensation ahead of the competition. They claim they were assured of GH¢500 for transportation and GH¢2,000 as an appreciation allowance.
In response, Juliana Addo-Yobo emphasized the Ministry’s dedication to resolving the issue as soon as possible. She reiterated the value of volunteerism, highlighting the initial understanding that such roles are often unpaid.
“We oriented the volunteers on the things to expect as a volunteer, what was required of them, their dedication, commitment, and so forth. We taught them the concept of volunteerism. I always had a slogan that I used to say that volunteerism is free. But then, at the end of the day, having transported themselves from their various places, we will try and see if something small could be given to them, at least to assist them in their transportation. Now we tried to hold on to them to see if we could harness or gather enough money to at least give them the TNT so that they could go. But we couldn’t get it on the 23rd when it closed.”
Speaking with Univers News, Joseph Dzifa, expressed dismay at the treatment they received despite their contributions to the success of the 13th African Games
“It is sad to be treated like this after working tirelessly to make the African 13th games a success. There were indications that the Local organizing committee had not initially planned to provide the 200. The volunteers also refused to take the 200 Cedis they wanted to give as for transportation. The truth of the matter is… they didn’t plan on even giving us the 200 Cedis.Because they told us to come for that money around 5pm in the evening after the volunteers pressured them. At that time, some volunteers had even left to their homes Some volunteers who were still waiting for a good response from them even didn’t get a place to sleep last night because they sacked them from their rooms”
