16/02/2024
HOW CAN WE PREVENT AFCON LEGACY VENUES FROM BECOMING WHITE ELEPHANTS?
After Ivory's hosting of AFCON 2023 is over, what remains of the stadium built for the competition? Hopefully, the host country won't have to deal with yet another round of white elephants.
One such instance is the National Stadium in Lagos, Nigeria, which played host to the 1999 U-20 World Cup, the 1980 and 2000 AFCON, and the 1973 Africa Games. The stadium is so old that the floodlights are crumbling. even though the repairs are being done at snail’s speed.
The Aliu Mahama stadium, which served as one of the locations for Ghana's 2008 AFCON, is completely in ruin.
An abandoned Stade d'Oyam in Libreville is the legacy of the 2017 AFCON, which Gabon held.
One strategy to lessen the impact of these white elephants is to:
1. Share hosting of the AFCON competitions to ease the strain on hosts building new stadiums.
2. Rehabilitating current stadiums rather than building new ones.
3. Building more readily maintained, smaller stadia.
4. When larger stadiums are constructed, their layouts should be such that the number of seats can be decreased.
5. Build stadiums that are easily repurposed for different games and entertainment activities to ensure that revenue is generated long after the event is over.
Because there are so many dynamics to the attitude towards infrastructure maintenance in Africa, even these recommendations are not lithographed in marble.
As Ugandans, we have had our share of this vice of poorly maintained stadia. Both the Mandela National Stadium and the Nakivubo War Memorial Stadium were formerly in disrepair. Due to a shortage of CAF-qualified stadiums in the nation at the time, we were obliged to hold two of our 2023 AFCON qualification home matches elsewhere. Enough said, the two stadiums are in superb shape right now as I write this.
The history of co-hosting in AFCON is similar to looking for a needle in haystack.
2000 AFCON, co-hosted by Ghana and Nigeria.
2012 AFCON was co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea; even co-hosting does not fully solve the stadia left behind as white elephants.
Morocco, which has previously offered six stadiums that are already built for the competition, will host the next AFCON in 2025. The nation boasts one of the greatest sporting facilities on the continent.
The first AFCON to be hosted by three nations—Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda—will take place in 2027. Each country will provide three stadiums for the tournament.
Taking a leaf from the World Cup, if not a branch, Japan and South Korea hosted the 2002 World Cup. The United States, Mexico, and Canada will co-host the 2026 World Cup.
The co-hosting formula will be used during the 2030 World Cup. Spain, Morocco, and Portugal will serve as its hosts.
If World Cup events are co-hosted by developed nations in Asia, Europe, and America, why don't we make it a norm to co-host the AFCON to reduce the burden on bidders who have to build new stadiums on short notice and with limited funds, only to have such stadiums abandoned because of excessive maintenance costs? The issue facing Africa is the continued restrictions and high cost of cross-border travel and trade. However, with time and the help of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, we are gradually conquering this obstacle to interconnecting 1.3 billion African people.
Perhaps one of the primary driving forces behind the AfCFTA's gradual rollout would be football. Such is the power of the 22 old men chasing a leather sphere.
What does co-hosting teach us in our daily lives as professionals (architects, engineers, lawyers, accountants, doctors, pharmacists) and businessmen in this global village?
Strategic collaborations are our lifeline to compete with the behemoth multinational companies on our home turf.
In order to be competitive and at the top of our game, we must work together with our peers in our professions. We frequently tend to view our peers as rivals. At the end of the day, the MNC takes the icing on the cake, and we are left to fight each other for a few bread crumbs below the table. Collaboration is one of the ways we can utilize our abilities, strengthen our weaknesses, and learn from more seasoned professionals, particularly when submitting bids for large infrastructure projects. By doing so, we may encourage one another to reach new heights and take control of the narrative of Africa instead of playing victims.
