Pastor Jerry Eze, the founder of Streams of Joy International, has been compelled to move his concert from the Accra Sports Stadium to the Black Star/Independence Square following backlash from the media and sporting community regarding the stadium's management - Ghanaweb reports.
Scheduled for February 24, 2024, Pastor Jerry Eze's NSPPD Ghana Prayer Conference had been planned to take place at the national stadium.
However, a recent update reveals that the event will now be held at the Black Star Square, with organizers citing the need for a larger seating area as the primary reason for the venue change.
A statement on Pastor Jerry Eze's Instagram account explained, "A transition season is indeed upon the nation of Ghana. We have now mazed out the Accra Sports Stadium seating capacity and in a bid to accommodate the thousands of registered attendees, the NSPPG Ghana Prayer Conference will now be held at Independence Square."
Unlike the Accra Sports Stadium, which has a closed area with a seating capacity of 45,000, Independence Square can accommodate up to 30,000 people in open space.
The backlash against the National Sports Authority (NSA) stemmed from their decision to close down the Accra Sports Stadium in December 2023 for all sporting activities, opting instead to rent it out for musical concerts.
These events caused significant damage to the football pitch, with large stages erected and bikers causing havoc by screeching across the surface with motorcycles.
It took several weeks for the NSA to restore the pitch to a satisfactory condition after the concerts in December 2023.
The decision to rent out the stadium for concerts just weeks before Ghana hosts the African Games, where the Accra Sports Stadium is slated to be utilized, raised eyebrows and drew criticism from many sports fanatics.