Today is exactly 70 days to the grand opening of the MTN African Cup of Nations tournament to be hosted in four Ghanaian cities namely Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and Sekondi.

We can now boost of some of the most modern sports facilities. According to the Confederation of African Football, Ghana’s new stadia can be counted among the best 10 in Africa

Now that the venues for the continental fiesta are completed and handed over, it is time for Ghanaians to get prepared to be involved in the action.

The African Cup of Nations is not only about football but the culture of Africa as a whole and Ghana in particular. We must take the advantage of hosting the championship to showcase what the nation has in terms of tourism, culture and heritage.

By African standards, Ghana has always been a clean country but as the whole world focuses on us as the host of the 2008 MTN African Cup of Nations, it brings up the challenge of welcoming visitors to a homely atmosphere where they can enjoy peace and tranquility.

There is the need to beautify the country to make it attractive. All hands must be on deck in order to achieve this goal. In the same way the Black Stars play in cohesion to strike at goal, residents of the four cities must also unite and take up cleaning campaigns to make their environs clean and tidy.

It will be ideal for houses to be painted to make them sparkle. Streets, hotels restaurants, chop bars, drinking bars, lorry parks and markets should be kept very neat from now onwards.

The media has a big role to play in educating the masses. There is the need to sensitise the masses to let them know what is expected of every one.
I want to commend all corporate bodies and individuals that are uniting Africa through the game of football.

As the time approaches for the big kickoff, I pray the Local Organising Committee to speed up activities especially with the publicity. Let us all work together to achieve our dream because victory is achieved when we walk hard towards a common goal.