My considered opinion is that the best tribute Ghana’s sporting fraternity can pay to the late Finance Minister Kwadwo Baah –Wiredu, is to name the proposed national sports hall of fame after him. I can say with some amount of authority that one of the greatest concerns of Baah-Wiredu when he was minister in charge of sports was to immortalize our past sporting heroes to serve as morale booster for the present generation. It would therefore be quite in place if the young man should be immortalized alongside the heroes he adored in his life time.

One of the first steps Baah -Wiredu took when he assumed the portfolio of Minister of Education and Sports in 2003, was to set up a national committee to acknowledge the significant contribution that the handful of men and women who have projected the image of Ghana through sports. I am proud to submit that I was a member of that group of seven headed by Dr Owusu Ansah ,former Chief Executive of the National Sports Council, who were given this onerous assignment.

Our terms of reference were;
1. To identify for honour, sportsmen and sportswomen who have made significant contribution to Ghana’s image in sports, and those who have contributed to the development and promotion of sports in Ghana.

2. To identify sports facilities, localities, and structures that can be named after distinguished personalities in sports. For example, gates, lanes, inner and outer parts of fence walls, and other appointments at stadia, especially the Accra and Kumasi Sports Stadia.

3. To submit to the Ministry a proposal for the establishment and management of a museum(hall of fame) and sports library at the Accra and Kumasi Sports Stadium to stimulate tourism .

4. To undertake any other assignment which, in the opinion of the Committee, will help project the image of Ghana’s sports heroes, and, by so doing, enhance sports development in the country.

I am privileged to reveal that it was the result of the committee’s recommendations that the Accra stadium was named after OHENE DJAN, first Director of Sports who rose to become executive member of both CAF and FIFA. The Kumasi Stadium was also named after BABA YARA, one of the most fascinating footballers the nation has produced. affectionately called in his hey days” The King of Wingers”. The Cape Coast Stadium was named after ROBERT MENSAH, rated Africa’s number one goalkeeper in the 1970s.

The sports hall at Accra Stadium was named after D.G.HATHIRAMANI, a natuturalized Ghanaian of Indian origin who single handedly produced more than 60% of Ghana’s table tennis stars spanning nearly four decades.

Baah- Wiredu was slowly implementing the numerous recommendations by the committee when a cabinet reshuffle took him to the Finance Ministry. He had incidentally just finished celebrating 100 years of Ghana Football in grand style, culminating in a jubilee lecture by veteran coach and football administrator Ben Kwofie at Cape Coast, the birthplace of Ghana football.

Unfortunately, Baah-Wiredu’s departure from the Sports Ministry halted the implementation of the committee’s recommendations and this was source of worry to him. I bumped into him at the Ohene Djan Stadium not too long ago and the topic for discussion was about the committee’s report. He said he had been told by Prof Fobih, Minister of Education of Education and Sports that he had nothing about the committee’s report in his file.

Looking visibly concerned, Baah- Wiredu pleaded that I made a copy available to the Ministry of Education which I did a couple of days later, leaving it on the desk of Elizabeth Ohene, Minister of State at the Ministry and I reported back to Baah-Wiredu much to his satisfaction displaying his trade mark infectious laugh.

It is my expectation that as suggestions pour from all corners of the country on the best memorial for arguably Ghana’s most hard working minister, naming the sports hall of fame after Baah -Wiredu could also be considered.

May he rest in eternal peace.