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Upon completion, the facility will be expected to host not just international football matches but also concerts and other public events.
Rwanda has stolen all the headlines when it comes to sports infrastructure in Africa the last few years.
The construction of the BK Arena in Kigali has seen Rwanda host major events like the Basketball Africa League, Fiba AfroBasket and the CAVB African Volleyball Championship.
More sports events are already lined up this year and Kigali will, once again, have all the attention.
The BAL playoffs are slated for May 21st to 28th while the Fiba Women’s AfroBasket Championship will be between July 28th and August 6th.
But that looks like just the beginning for Rwanda, the country that hosted the 2016 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN).
The country’s main stadium, Amahoro has been closed of for rehabilitation works for a while now but is expected to be handed over in June 2024.
The stadium is undergoing a transformation with an expansion project being undertaken by Turkish construction company SUMMA JV Rwanda.
It is the same company that constructed BK Arena and officials handling the works conformed to Rwandan paper New Times that the facility will be ready mid next year.
The project will cost Rwanda in excess of Rwf160 billion to successfully complete the upgrade of the multi-purpose facility.
The capacity of the stadium will increase from the initial 25,000 to 45,000 seats upon completion.
SUMMA has maintaining the existing structure and building on it to expand its capacity.
Upon completion, the facility will be expected to host not just international football matches but also concerts and other public events.
It will be yet another attraction for sports events in Rwanda.
Last year, Rwanda was struggling to find a home for the national football team, Amavubi with Amahoro under renovation and Kigali Stadium not able to meet the international standards.
The problem of sports infrastructure is a big one in Africa. Uganda will host Tanzania in their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier game at the Suez Canal Authority Stadium in Egypt due to lack of a stadium that meets the acceptable standards.
Mandela National Stadium, Namboole and Nakivubo are both under renovation.
The St. Mary’s Stadium Kitende, which has been the Cranes’ home in the last fixtures, is not fit to host game at AFCON Qualifiers level.
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