Akwaaba, which means ‘welcome’ in Akan, could be heard rippling across Kotoka International Airport as former 100m World Record holder Asafa Powell, the fourth fastest man in the world, arrived in Accra, Ghana.
The excitement was palatable as hundreds turned out to see the sprint legend in person. The Ghanaian media lined up for interviews to find out what the now-retired sprinter and the Ghanian Olympic Committee (GOC), headed by President Ben Nunoo Mensah, have in store for the athletic community in Ghana.
Powell’s wife Alyshia was born and raised in Ghana and she was excited to be able to share her homeland, culture, and family with Powell on this trip as well. This trip will allow Powell to connect with Ghana on both a professional and personal basis.
Powell kicked off Day 2 in Ghana with a visit to Ghana’s Youth & Sports Minister, Mustapha Ussif, who hosted him Tuesday afternoon in his office. The couple also got to visit Black Star Square, as well as the Ghanaian House of Parliament, and Powell met Ghanaian football player Asamoah Gyan.
“The welcome I received upon landing yesterday was truly amazing. The warmth, the music, the dancing, and the hospitality was beyond fantastic… I feel like I am in my home away from home.”
On Wednesday, Powell will visit Christian Atsu’s residence to sign the condolence book for the Ghanaian footballer who perished a few weeks ago in the Turkey earthquake, and the GOC is hosting a media meet and greet at Accra City Hotel.
On Thursday, Powell and his wife head to the Cape Coast to visit the school she attended as a child, as well as to trace his ancestral roots. He will meet some of his wife’s family, and the Chief of Cape Coast.
GOC President Ben Nunoo Mensah has thanked corporate Ghana for their swift response in supporting the visit and embracing Asafa Powell as their own.
Powell will be in Ghana until March 7 where he will meet and speak to athletes, pay a courtesy call on H.E. the President of the Republic at the Jubilee House, and also engage the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ghana Olympic Committee, the LOC (Local Organizing Committee) of the African Games Accra 2023, as well as the Ghana Athletics Association on how best Ghana sports can benefit from his huge image on the international sports arena.
