Ghana won 19 gold medals at the 13th African Games. The country had never won that many at the Games before.
The Games, branded Accra 2023 because they were originally scheduled for that year, took place from 8 to 23 March 2024. More than 5,000 athletes from across the African Union competed in 29 sports. Ghana finished sixth on the medal table with 68 medals: 19 gold, 29 silver and 20 bronze.
The medal table
Egypt dominated, as it often does at the African Games, finishing top with 191 medals. Nigeria, South Africa, Algeria and Tunisia completed the top five. Ghana’s 68 medals and sixth place were a clear improvement on previous editions, helped by home crowds and investment in facilities.
Legon at the centre
The main venue was the new Legon Sports Stadium at the University of Ghana, built for the Games, where athletics events and the closing ceremony took place. Other events were held around Accra and beyond, including at the Accra Sports Stadium and new facilities at Borteyman in the Tema area.
The delays that pushed the Games from 2023 into 2024 were partly due to the construction schedule. Some venues were still being finished close to the start, and organisers faced criticism over preparation. Once the events began, the atmosphere in the stadiums and the performances of Ghanaian athletes took over the headlines.
Why hosting mattered
Hosting a multi-sport event of this size was a test for Ghana’s sports administration and infrastructure. The Games left Accra with new venues, including the Legon stadium, and gave hundreds of Ghanaian athletes a chance to compete in front of home crowds.
The legacy question is the one every host faces. Critics have asked how the new facilities will be maintained and used, and whether they will support Ghanaian sport for decades or fall into disrepair like some earlier projects.
What 19 golds means
Ghana’s gold medals came across several sports. The haul raised expectations for Ghanaian athletes in future continental and world competitions, and it gave the country a benchmark to beat when the Games move on to future hosts.
The history of the Games
The African Games, first held as the All-Africa Games in Brazzaville in 1965, bring together athletes from across the continent every four years. Ghana had never hosted them before 2024. Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa have long dominated the medal tables, backed by larger sports budgets and stronger domestic competition structures. Hosting gave Ghana the benefit of home advantage in events such as boxing, athletics and team sports, and many of its medals came in front of packed stands at Legon.
The medal table from March 2024 still reads the same: Ghana sixth, with its best ever gold count, won on home ground at Legon.
