Samson Deen is the President of the Ghana Paralympic Committee
The 2025 African Paralympic Committee (AfPC) General Assembly officially opened on Saturday, November 8, 2025, with a resounding call for inclusion, unity, and investment in para-sport across Africa.
Delivering the keynote address, Kofi Iddie Adams, Minister of Sports and Recreation, welcomed delegates, athletes, and international partners to Ghana, a city he described as “embodying the African commitment to inclusion, visibility, and collective advancement in sport.”
Adams paid special tribute to Samson Deen, President of the Ghana Paralympic Committee, whose leadership had driven the continent’s para-sport movement and brought the first-ever African Para Games to Accra in 2023.
“Across Africa, para-athletes continue to overcome immense barriers, structural, social, and financial — yet they inspire us daily. Disability is not inability, and inclusion is not charity; it is justice,” Adams emphasised.
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He highlighted Ghana’s commitment to accessible sports infrastructure, inclusive programmes, and talent identification initiatives, urging governments to support the AfPC with legitimacy, legal frameworks, and political backing.
The minister called for three key actions: continental unity to fully endorse the AfPC’s headquarters in Accra, national investment in para-sport from grassroots to elite levels, and a narrative shift to reshape public perceptions of disability across Africa.
In his welcome remarks, Samson Deen lauded the assembly as “the heartbeat of our collective mission, to empower persons with disabilities through sport, foster unity across nations, and elevate Africa’s standing globally.”
He underscored the AfPC’s transformative progress since the 2023 African Para Games and highlighted deliberations on governance, zonal structures, and the establishment of a permanent Secretariat.
Deen declared the General Assembly officially open, calling on delegates to engage “with wisdom, respect, and courage” to inspire future generations of African para-athletes.
The 2025 AfPC General Assembly in Accra thus marks a pivotal moment for the continent’s Paralympic movement, a celebration of resilience, vision, and the enduring belief that African sport is strongest when no one is left behind.
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