Photos: Heidi Fachtan

Vans is proud to announce the opening of Ghana’s first skatepark on December 15th, supporting The Surf Ghana Collective and the important work they’re doing for the local West African communities.

The Freedom Skatepark, located at East Legon, was brought to life in the span of 30 days thanks to the hands-on team of Wonders Around the World, with funding from Vans and support from the teams at Off-White, Daily Paper, SAF Ghana (STL-Amandi Foundation) and Ghanaian spatial design studio, Limbo Accra and Space Accra.

Vans and The Freedom Skatepark initiative intends to organize various art and sporting events, including workshops, mentoring programs, art exhibitions and other skate competitions for the African continent. Further plans include the development of a Wi-Fi Cafe and a skate shop, which is expected to be in full operation by the first quarter of 2022. The mission here is to create and sustain a sports infrastructure by involving the youth at every stage to provide job opportunities in various sectors such as sports and tourism for them to excel.

Freedom Skatepark is a beautiful park, spanning 500 m2 in the heart of Accra, located at Shiashie in the East Legon vicinity. The design of Freedom Skatepark, spearheaded by the incredible team at Wonders Around the World, is a truly unique space including the Ghanaian Adinkra symbol “Fawohodie”, which represents independence, freedom and emancipation. This skatepark intends to soon become a home for the youth to truly and freely express themselves.

Vans is working with The Surf Ghana Collective to ensure skateboarding and surfing are as accessible as possible for the local community. The first phase of the partnership kicks off with the build of The Freedom Skatepark and the next phase will be via the development of a surf community hub.

Future goals for the brand include support for the surf community in Busua with a similar program. This kicked off in 2021 for Vans Checkerboard Day in partnership with JUJU Surf Club and with co-founder and Vans team rider Mikey February, who provided surf lessons and inspiration to the local community. Vans continues to support youth culture by enabling creative self-expression through action sports and is helping lay the foundations for future generations in Africa.

To find out more information about Freedom Skatepark, please visit freedomskatepark.org.