Government has contracted Summa, a Turkish firm to construct a 20,000-seater Hoima multi-purpose stadium ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Hoima Stadium is among those that Uganda plans to host matches during the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which it will co-host with Kenya and Tanzania. The stadium will be constructed within 18 months and is required to be ready by December 2025. The construction work will be supervised by the Ministry of Works and Transport.
Dr. Bernard Patrick Ogwel signed on behalf of the Government of Uganda and the National Council of Sports in his capacity as the Secretary General of NCS, while Selim Bora signed on behalf of Summa Construction Company. The process was guided by John Bosco Suza, the Director of Legal Advisory Services, who represented the Attorney General.
Before the contract signing, the Minister of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, Judith Nabakooba, handed over a land title of 34.9 acres for the Hoima City Stadium. The title, in the name of the National Council of Sports, was given to the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Mrs. Janet Museveni, who then handed it to the Chairman of the National Council of Sports, Ambrose Tashobya.
“Today marks the culmination of the tireless efforts of various people from both the government and the private sector who have gone beyond the call of duty to ensure that we begin the process of developing sports infrastructure in preparation for the Africa Cup of Nations 2027,” said Mrs. Museveni.
She said that following the wise counsel of President Museveni, M/S Summa was secured to undertake construction works for the stadium in Hoima City within 18 months. This is because it is highly recommended as the contractor that has changed the face of sports infrastructure with our friends and neighbors in Rwanda, Senegal, and other countries across the world.
Mrs Museveni appealed to Summa to ensure that Uganda has a 20,000-seater multi-sport stadium of international standards ready for inspection by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) by December 31, 2025. “Do not let Ugandans down because hosting the Africa Cup of Nations is a golden opportunity whose benefits go beyond football to a country,” she said.
She said the government is taking deliberate action to invest in sports infrastructure in order to develop and professionalize the abundant talent in different disciplines and to generate revenue. Therefore, she tasked the Minister of State for Sports with developing a concept for the management of all sports facilities to ensure that the government benefits from its investments.
The Sports Minister, Peter Ogwang, reported that Summa has done an excellent job in the construction of the Kigali Arena and the renovation of the state-of-the-art Amahoro Stadium. He requested M/S Summa not to abuse the trust that Uganda has placed in them as the constructors of the Hoima Stadium, but to deliver an excellent job on the people’s project by December 31, 2025.
He pointed out the need for Uganda to develop holistic plans to tap into sports tourism to generate revenue for the country. He cited Rwanda as an example, which he said generates almost one billion US dollars for the government every year from sports tourism.
