Uganda new venue construction get weaving



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SAMCO to build a new stadium in Uganda Image: State House Uganda

The construction of the 20,000-seat Akii Bua Olympic Stadium in Lira City (Uganda) got rolling recently as the Government handed over the land for the same to begin.

‘The Sports Nation’ stated that in early December last year the Government signed a contract with the Egyptian firm SAMCO National Construction Company to construct the state-of-the-art facility in Lira City.

The 20,000-capacity Akii Bua Olympic Stadium is a multipurpose stadium under construction in Lira, Uganda. It is intended to be used for the first time during the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament. The stadium is one of the three stadia that Uganda plans to use during the tournament that will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, also referred to as AFCON 2027 or CAN 2027, is scheduled to be the 36th edition of the biennial African football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). It will be hosted by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania in June and July 2027. For the first time, the tournament will take place in three countries.

Giza (Egypt)-based the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is the administrative and controlling body for association football, beach soccer and futsal in Africa. It was established on February 8th, 1957.

The SAMCO National Construction Company is an Egypt-based company established in 1994. SAMCO successfully and efficiently penetrated into Egypt’s booming development industry. SAMCO is considered as one of the largest and most prestigious companies operating in the construction field. SAMCO was established driven by challenges to produce excellence, innovative, diversified developments, and engineering solutions from concept to creation.

‘The Sports Nation’ further stated that the $129 million (Sh490bn) project designed to seat 20,000 spectators is expected to be completed within 20 months and is a key venue earmarked for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2027.

During the last part of December 2024 the Government officially handed over the Akii-Bua Stadium site to the SAMCO National Construction Company marking the start of construction on the modern multisports complex in Lira City.

The event, presided over by the Government Chief Whip Honorable Hamson Obua, was attended by a distinguished delegation that included the Area Woman MP and Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, apart from political, religious, cultural, community, and sports leaders.

The ambitious project will include a main stadium, training facilities, an indoor arena, a swimming pool, outdoor courts, parking areas, and other essential infrastructure making it a comprehensive sports complex.

SAMCO has handled construction of roads, bridges, malls, hospitals, among others in Egypt and across Africa but the Akii Bua Olympic Stadium will be their first ever stadium project.

Speaking about the project, Engineer Ahmed Abdel Galil expressed SAMCO’s readiness to deliver on schedule – “We have partners with extensive experience in stadium construction. This project is similar to other large-scale ventures we’ve successfully delivered. We are fully capable of completing the stadium and we are committed to getting the job done.”

With financing split equally between the Government and SAMCO, the contractor is confident in their ability to deliver – “The financial aspect has been finalized with the Government and our company each contributing 50 percent. This ensures the necessary resources are in place.”

The Government will later reimburse SAMCO including the interest.

Local participation and gender balance are also integral to the project. SAMCO has pledged to employ workers from Lira City including opportunities for the women.

Added Engineer Ahmed, “The local content is embedded in the contract. We will employ many workers from Lira ensuring gender balance and providing opportunities for the women to join our team.”

The contractor has already mobilized staff onsite to kickstart the project.

Averred Ahmed, “Our team is ready and we will do everything possible to meet the 20-month timeline. While we can’t predict the future we are dedicated to delivering the project on time.”

The technical team from the Government was also present. The Ministry of Works and Transport also had a delegation on site.
 

The state-of-the-art sports complex will include:

  • A 20,000-seat main stadium;
  • An athletic track;
  • A full-sized football field with at least two changing rooms;
  • A 2,000-seat multisport indoor stadium;
  • A 25-meter semi-Olympic swimming pool;
  • Outdoor courts for basketball, netball, volleyball, and badminton;
  • A 1,000-vehicle parking facility;
  • Full state-of-the-art Information and Communications Technology (ICT) capabilities; and
  • A 60-bed hostel for the athletes.

 
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