Juliana Addo-Yobo, the director in charge of volunteers for the 13th African Games, said the Ministry of Sports is striving to secure all volunteers for the event.
On Tuesday, volunteers were upset because officials did not distribute the GH¢2,500 promised to them prior to the competition.
Juliana Addo-Yobo responded to the complaints, emphasising the Ministry’s commitment to resolve the issue as soon as possible. She emphasised the importance of volunteering and the fact that it is often unpaid employment.
The volunteers claim they were offered GH500 each for transportation and GH2,000 cedis as appreciation allowance.
“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.”
Despite officials’ assurances, some volunteers remain disheartened. Damba Abdulai Seidu, a volunteer, described the frustration, emphasising the vital services they provide and the financial burden they are now facing.
“The services that we rendered are something that you can’t even place monetary value on. I must admit, the majority of us have already lost hope. You know, it is not everybody who has had to contain this rioting and things like that because the whole place looks scary.
“So majority of our colleagues reached out to their friends and family members to seek assistance to go back to their various villages. Some of us will continue to be here for as long as we want to be here and then any hope that comes anywhere, we move out.”
