The Ghana Cricket Association (GCA) at its 2023 Annual General Meeting held at the Accra Sports Stadium media center elected Lawyer Douglas Djarbeng to the Executive Board, replacing the late Henry Benjamin Ackom who had served the GCA in various capacities.
Lawyer Djarbeng who serves the GCA as the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, has served in various capacities in the sporting fraternity, especially in football.
He was a member of the delegation which participated in the Africa Zone 2 Cricket tournament in Kigali, Rwanda 2021. The former General Manager of the Ghana Cocoa Board is a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court for the past 44 years.
The AGM held on Saturday, September 9, 2023 also saw the replacement of Auditor for the GCA, as the previous Auditor, who has served for 6 years, was mandated to vacate that post for a new Auditor.
The New Auditor for the GCA, a treasurer of the James Town Traditional and Elders Council and Warrior King of the Ga State, as well as the Head of the Royal Hansen family of Jamestown, is Dr Reginald Hansen Kpakpo Hansen- Thompson (Nii Hansen V). He is the managing partner of James Quagraine Associates, a Chartered Accountants and Management Consultants.
A Citation from the ICC for a Long Service recognition to the former late President of the Ghana Cricket Association, Prince Daniel Vanderpuye-Orgle, was presented to his son Kwesi Vanderpuye.
Several other discussions were dealt with at the AGM which saw representatives from the various 10 regions of Ghana, which include development agenda of the GCA and some challenges facing the Association.
President of the GCA, Emmanuel Kwame Asare in his address to members assured the commitment of the Association to development and promotion of the sport.
“It is quite refreshing to once again meet as a family and deliberate on issues which affect the future of our sport. On September 1, 2022, the GCA signed a memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Achimota School for the exclusive rights to manage and develop the Cricket Ovals. A similar MOU has also been signed with KNUST, for the use of the Obuasi oval in June 2022. However, discussions are also ongoing with the Ga-Mantse to lease land for the GCA to construct its own facilities in Accra in the future. GCA is still committed to developing, promoting and regulating cricket in all forms in the country per its mandate as the sole governing body of Cricket in Ghana.”
He also urged members not to only rely on support from the GCA but seek sponsorships to run their programs while acknowledging some sponsors who have supported the GCA.
“I wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate the support of the following companies to our national teams, regarding kitting and playing equipment during the year under review; Rosette, Techno Ghana Ltd, Bel-Aqua, Jupiter Industries, Precious Minerals Marketing Company & Underground Mining Alliance.”
The hubs of Ghana Cricket, Obuasi, Akosombo, Saltpond have had several developmental activities with some leagues currently ongoing.
However, the senior men’s national team participation at the 2nd edition of the ACA Africa T20 Cup qualifiers, scheduled for August in South Africa, is still postponed indefinitely due to visa issues of some participating countries.
The GCA is in the meantime preparing for other international tournaments for the team.
By: Davis Nii Attuquaye Clottey
