Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA) acting Director General, Noel Nsanzineza says it will cost the government in excess of Rwf 160 billion to successfully complete the upgrade works on Amahoro stadium.
The facility, which has not hosted football competitions since 2021, is under renovation since March after a series of delays that were caused by the covid-19 pandemic.
Turkish contractor SUMMA has already started the works which will entail expansion at different wings of the stadium and some additional roofing that will shield spectators from extreme weather conditions and also give them comfort.
“The contract has already been signed with the contractor and the works are underway. The stadium will be ready by 2024,” Nsanzineza said.
The ongoing activities to demolish the old facility of Amahoro National Stadium in Kigali on June 8. Photos by Dan Nsengiyumva
Neither national team Amavubi nor local clubs can host their continental competitive matches at any of the current facilities with the Huye Stadium the latest venue rejected to host Rwanda-Senegal match after a supervision team from CAF said the venue was not ready yet, forcing Amavubi to play their match day two of the AFCON qualifiers against Senegal in Dakar.
However, Nsanzineza insists Amahoro stadium will, upon completion, meet all the standards required by FIFA giving it the greenlight to host international competitive matches.
Amahoro National stadium is a multi-purpose stadium with a capacity of 25,000 seats but ongoing upgrades will see the stadium’s capacity go up to 45,000, making it the biggest stadium in the country.
The government will also pay an additional Rwf 5 billion worth of supervision funds.
Amahoro Stadium is part of the proposed Remera sports hub alongside the likes of rebranded BK Arena and Amahoro indoor stadium, commonly known as Petit Stade as well as the Paralympic Games Gymnasium.