China has announced it will finance construction of a 60,000 capacity stadium in Ivory Coast in readiness for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. The Olympic stadium will be constructed in the biggest city of the country Abidjan in Anyama suburb.
The Stadium of Ebimpe project is expected to be undertaken for a period of two years and will kick off by January 2016. The stadium, according to an official before a recent sports meeting, will be a “gift” to the country, from China.
The Stadium of Ebimpe, which would allow hosting of top-level football, rugby and athletics competitions, would involve construction of a sports city around the stadium according to the official.
Abidjan currently has one stadium by the name of Houphouet-Boigny stadium, which was built couple of years prior to independence in 1960 and with a maximum capacity of 35,000 people at once.
Apart from the new Stadium of Ebimpe project announced, China is also responsible for the construction of the largest hydro-electric project in the country as well as the construction of the highway that will connect Abidjan and the Ghana border.
As an important contributor to developments in the country, China is also through the China Eximbank US$875 million loan, funding construction of a container terminal at Abidjan port.
