Malawi govt delays China-funded Bingu stadium handover
Government has conceded it has delayed the handover of the state of the art multibillion kwacha Bingu Stadium in the capital, Lilongwe.
Minister of Sports and Culture Grace Chiumia said the Chinese wrote the government on November 28, 2015.
“They wrote us two days before the official completion date of 30 November, they are indeed on time but there are several things we have to do as government before we take over,” she said.
She said the government has to identify government buildings experts who should certify that the stadium and the buildings are ready for use.
Chiumia also said the government has not yet employed staff who will be looking after the stadium. “The inspection of the building might not take time, it might take one or two days but we are yet to complete the recruitment of staff for the stadium,” said Chiumia.
Minister of Transport and Public Works Francis Kasaila said the stadium would not only change the face of the city but also put Malawi on the map in as far as international games are concerned.
The stadium which can house more than 40,000 people is almost completed and it is expected to be handed over to Malawi government later in the month.
“This is a world-class facility and we are very proud of it,” said Kasaila.
The state-of-the-art stadium is constructed by a chinese contractor to the tune of 70 million U.S. dollars, a concessional loan to be paid back by Malawi government in 20 years.
Among other facilities are the 56 lounges where families and sponsor groups will have the luxury of watching live events in private.
It also has a press gallery, a gym and Olympic standard synthetic running track around the pitch, and the playing field is covered with special drought-resistant grass imported from South Africa.
Malawi government named the stadium Bingu National Stadium in honour of Malawi’s former president Bingu Mutharika who initiated the project with the Chinese government.
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I can’t get it. We knew all along that the stadium would be completed on 30 November. Mind you these are not like Malawian contractors who will keep shifting dates. Our friends know the value of keeping deadlines. Here we are now saying that we have not yet recruited staff for the stadium. I hope we do not expect China to do that for us as well.
sewage system is a MUST for the stadium…. its not about workers>>>stadium silero yamangidwa> u wud have employed workers a month ago>>> even around the stadium fence, bwenzi patalambulidwa bwinobwino and kapinga kudzalidwa bwinobwino… zikuoneka bwino pano. Zaulere zinationonga a Malawi>>>.even drainage system ya nseu wa stadium from Life Changers bwezi utakonzedwa kutengera kuti it will be bizy soon koma eeee tizapanga zikadzatifika mmutu kkkkk Am a proud citizen though
Ngati mukutsutsa pitani ku MPICO akakuuzani tsatanetsatane wa nkhaniyi. Mayor ndi CEO wa Lilongwe akudziwapo kanthu.
Zoona zake ndiizi. Boma lilibe ndalama loti libwezere MPICO yomwe inamanga seweline yochokera ku Gateway Shopping Mall. Stadium sangaitsakule wopanda sewegi system. Chomwecho pano angoti kakasi.
Malawians leaders will never learn
Grace Chiumia, this demonstrates incompetence on your part. The stadium was not built over night and you don’t have staff to run ths thing? What the heck? Are you waiting for money from the Chinese to hire people?
I dont know whats come over malawian.nthawi zonse timangokhalila kunganiza zoononga zinthu zathu,mmalo moganiza zopitisa pasogolo
It nearly got constructed in Thyolo!
We are so short sighted, what a shame!
Can we commercialise the stadium by selling the naming rights to a sponsor instead of naming it as Bingu Stadium.