The government of the Republic of Uganda through the states’ Ministry of Education and Sports has revived Ugandans hopes for the construction of the stalled Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium in Lira district, in the Northern Region of the East African country.
Speaking on the project, Denis Hamson Obua the country’s minister for sports said that the government has received a grant from the People’s Republic of China and that it is in the final stages of securing two consultants for the implementation of the project.
Minister Obua explained that the consultants will undertake a detailed feasibility study that includes environmental and social impact assessment.
The development of the Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium project
The Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium was pledged by President Yoweri Museveni back in 2016 in memory of Uganda’s Olympic gold medalist, John Akii Bua, for his historic 1972 Munich Olympic gold medal triumph in the 400 meters hurdles.
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The following year, the Lira District administration offered the National government an approximately 18-acre piece of land for the construction of the Stadium. In 2017, the project began with the preliminary works which included opening the boundaries of the land, clearing and leveling the field, construction of access roads and drainage channels, construction of latrine, and pavilion.
Unfortunately, the government was unable to continue with the implementation of the project due to its inability to raise the required funds. It, therefore, opted to sort financial support from the People’s Republic of China.
Meanwhile, the land was handed to Lango Province, a local football team, which managed to put up a perimeter wall surrounding the latrine and the pavilion initially built by the government.
The future Akii-Bua stadium
Upon completion, the Akii-Bua stadium will have a capacity of 30,000 people and it will be featuring an aquatic center, indoor stadium, training ground, and a modern hotel.
The entire project is estimated to cost at least US$ 125M to completion.
