As the COVID-19 pandemic has reached almost every country in the world and its spread has left national economies and businesses counting the costs, as Governments struggle with new lockdown measures to tackle the spread of the virus, we at ADF are very thankful to our partners, sponsors, and donors for their unwavering support.
The pandemic is truly novel and continues to impact our lives, our communities, and our nation in ways none of us could have imagined. It is in that spirit we take a moment to thank you for the continued support over the years. With so much of the world beset with crisis in public health, disasters, and conflicts, we strive to help promote peace, stability, and prosperity in some of the most fragile regions of the world through our youth-oriented programs.
I am proud of our foundation’s successes over the years, particularly in providing more outreach opportunities for our youth. This year, we will continue these initiatives, as well as adding more programs designed for different ages and stages.
Finally, I would like to give a special thanks to our team, Board of Directors, Advisory Board Members, and Volunteers for their tireless work of ADF for all the resources, guidance, and support they provide each and every day.
Sincerely,
George Ntim
Founder & President
As an American and native of Ghana, George established the African Development Foundation (ADF), which is an international non-profit organization, created to garner goodwill and strengthen relationships between the United States and Africa through youth-oriented initiatives that include Health, Education, and Sports.
Among our sports-related initiatives since 2006, we have provided resources for over 1,500 boys and girls to play baseball and T-ball in Ghana. This includes college-aged students at the University of Ghana, Legon and children as young as 5-years-old at 12 primary schools. One such school is the Ghana International School where we organized the T-ball game for the former President George W. Bush to watch during his 2008 visit to Ghana (click to see Bush Visit video).
In 2012, Senator Lindsey Graham also brought a delegation of five (5) other US Senators and the renowed Singer & Songwriter, Bono with the U2 to watch a Little League game organized by the ADF during their visit to Ghana.
With a USAID grant, we organized a Goodwill Baseball Tour to Ghana in 2007 that included former MLB players Dave Winfield, Dusty Baker, late Bob Watson, Reggie Smith and late Al Jackson, former New York Mets GM, Omar Minaya, and Dan Velte, VP with the Little League International. The New York Mets cable station SNY, produced an Emmy-Winning documentary entitled “A Diamond in the Rough” which chronicled the tour.
In August 2010, we began construction of a 2-Field Baseball Complex on the campus of the University of Ghana, Legon, where the university signed an MOU in partnership with the ADF to donate 22 acres of land to develop baseball programs. The Complex is being constructed under the supervision of GM Ingenieria & Desarrollo (GMI&D), which is one of the most experienced baseball field developers in the Dominican Republic that also constructs fields for the MLB. WILKADO Construction Works LTD is our local Ghanaian contractor and partner. The Complex will include the following:
To date, the project is about one-third completed. The total cost will be $800,540, of which we have already raised and allocated $200,000 into the project from private donors and the Youth and Sports Center of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
We now seek an additional $600,540 to finish the project. The following phases of the construction have been completed for both fields:
Upon completion, the Complex will be the first of its kind in West Africa. The Complex will not only help develop the skills of Ghanaian youths and advance the culture of baseball in Ghana, it will also serve as a regional center to host tournaments and competition among West African teams in ECOWAS, as well as West African universities and the African Baseball and Softball Association (ABSA).
Little League International has also expressed an interest to allow West Africa to become a new region (African teams are now grouped with teams in Kutno, Poland) where annual tournament winners will automatically qualify to advance to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Given that the United States is Ghana’s largest source of tourists, the fields will also be open to Americans and other expatriates who play baseball, which will help make the Complex a tourist attraction for visitors who enjoy watching baseball, as the games for President Bush and Senator Graham affirms.
Sincerely,
George Ntim
Founder & President
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