The President of the African Paralympic Committee, Mr. Samson Deen, was retained as the President of the Ghana Paralympic Committee at its 2024 Elective General Assembly, which was held at the ACCRA DIGITAL CENTER today, October 10, 2024.
Mr Deen ran unopposed and was declared the winner by Madam Abigail D.A Nutakor, the Presiding Officer of Ghana’s electoral commission.
Deen first assumed office in 2019, when he narrowly defeated his opponent, Shabaan Mohammed, the Technical Director of the Ghana Cycling Association, by a margin of seven votes to six.
In an exclusive interview with JoySports following his re-election, Deen shared his vision of strengthening Ghana’s representation at the upcoming Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, USA.
“The members of the Paralympic movement believed I should continue in this role. Today’s election shows we have new energy and a fresh approach to ensuring that Ghana competes at the LA 2028 Paralympic Games in the USA,” he stated.
“Our primary objective as the NPC board is to establish a solid foundation for para-sports associations in Ghana. With that foundation, we aim to develop top-tier athletes who can compete internationally. We’ll need the support of everyone to elevate para-sports to the next level.”
During his first tenure, Ghana successfully hosted the inaugural African Para Games, where the Black Challenge (Amputee Football Team) emerged victorious. In May this year, the Ghana Amputee team also claimed the African title by defeating hosts Morocco. Deen was instrumental in leading Ghana to qualify for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Deen also serves as the President of the African Paralympic Committee (APC), where he recently garnered 24 votes, surpassing Morocco’s Hamid El Aouni, who received 15 votes, succeeding Leonel da Rocha Pinto, who held the position for 13 years.
In the NPC Ghana election, Evans Yeboah was voted Vice President, Henry Larbi was selected as Secretary, and Richard Teinor was elected Treasurer. Four executive members—Iddriss Ayishetu Farida, Foster Kwarteng, Mary Apedo, and Anthony Gyening—were also elected to finalize the board.
