KGL Foundation commits $2m to maintain Mfantsipim’s Alex Dadey Sports Centre

The KGL Foundation has committed an additional $2 million towards the long-term maintenance of the Alex Dadey Sports Centre at Mfantsipim School, following its commissioning as part of the school's 150th anniversary celebrations.

The commitment, announced by the chairman of the anniversary celebration and KGL Group founder, Alex Apau Dadey, will provide the facility with an annual maintenance grant of $100,000 over the next 20 years.

Speaking at the anniversary event, Mr Dadey said the funding was intended to ensure that the sports centre remained functional and continued to serve generations of students.

He described the facility as an investment in sporting excellence and the school's future, stressing that the value of infrastructure depended not only on its construction but also on how well it was maintained.

“The true measure of infrastructure investment is not the grandeur of its commissioning, but the quality of its maintenance and the longevity of its service,” he said.

The sports centre, funded through the KGL Foundation, is named after Mr Dadey's late father, Dr Alex Dadey.

Mr Dadey said the project held personal significance for him, recalling that he enrolled at Mfantsipim in September 1974 and that his years at the school helped shape his approach to leadership and personal development.

“I once ran barefoot on the same grounds where the new sports facility now stands,” he said.

Reflecting on the lessons he learnt through athletics, he said the discipline of sport had reinforced the importance of hard work and performance.

“On the track, there were no shortcuts. At Mfantsipim, we were taught that the stopwatch does not recognise your family name, social standing, or excuses. It recognises performance,” he said.

Mr Dadey also highlighted other educational projects undertaken by his family through the KGL Foundation.

He said the family had recently commissioned the University of Ghana Alumni Centre, also named after his late father.

He further announced that his wife, Caroline, would commission the Caroline Dadey ICT Centre at Aburi Girls' Senior High School, where she is an alumna.

The anniversary chairman urged Mfantsipim alumni to contribute to the school's development and ensure that each generation leaves the institution stronger.

“Every generation of old boys must leave Mfantsipim stronger than it found it,” he said.

He also encouraged current students to prioritise character, discipline, curiosity and courage, rather than measuring achievement solely through wealth or social status.

“Do not aspire to be successful men; aspire to be useful men,” he told the students.

Looking ahead, Mr Dadey challenged the school community to begin considering the institution's future as it approaches its bicentenary in 2076.

“Let us honour the past, not live in it,” he said.

Established in 1876 through the Methodist Church, Mfantsipim School is marking 150 years of education and service. Its anniversary celebration brought together the Vice-President, traditional authorities, including the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, religious leaders, government officials, school authorities, alumni and students.