Bafoussam Stadium at 62 percent construction

The execution rate of the construction work on the Bafoussam Omnisport Stadium in Kouekong stands at 62 percent.

The statistics of work done was made public at the site in Kouekong, by the Manager of the China Machinery Engineering Corporation, CMEC, Cui Haotzhen, on December11, during an inter-Ministerial inspection visit, led by the Secretary General in the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education, Dr. Emmanuel Wonyu.

Presenting the project to the delegation during the visit, Cui Haotzhen said all necessary measures have been taken at the level of organisation and management, to ensure that work is completed by October 2015. This, Cui Haotzhen said, will enable the stadium to play host to matches during the 2016 and 2019 Female and Male African Cup of Nations’ competitions, respectively, to be hosted by Cameroon.

He revealed the total surface area of the stadium is 2,022, 590m², while construction area is 143,30m² and the stadium has a capacity of 20,000 seats: (150 seats at the presidential bleacher, 9,016 for spectators in the west, 19,843 in the south, 5,794 in the East and 3,157 in the north with 40 seats reserved for the physically challenged.

The Manager said the stadium will serve essentially for football matches, though other sporting competitions like long jump, short put, discourse, among others, can also be played in the stadium, adding that the playground has been constructed following 400m norms of athletic fields and other norms, while all other dispositions have been considered to meet international standards.

According to the Secretary General in the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education, Dr. Wonyu, six months after the bid to host the 2019 AFCON, construction work on the Bafoussam stadium is going on normally and surely.

“Six months after, we think that the work is going on normally and we have been assured that by October 2015, construction work on the stadium will be completed and we can assure Cameroonians that, with the rate at which the work is being carried out, the various stadia earmarked for the two competitions to be hosted by our beloved country will be ready.”

He added that, as Coordinator of infrastructures in the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education, he was instructed by the Minister to visit the site alongside a technical team that works every Wednesday with the Chinese company, to actually see the level of work done so far.

“Given that, every Wednesday, we submit data of the progress of work done to the hierarchy, today, we have come to see if the reports and data match with the reality on the ground. We have to reassure one another that everything is going on well as planned.”

As concerns the problems of water and electricity supply that were raised by the Manager of CMEC, Dr. Wonyu said since the creation of an Emergency Committee for the 2019 AFCON, the Prime Minister has instructed partner Ministries to be very much involved in the procedure, while respecting the norms, and CAMWATER has promised that in two months, the problem of water would be solved, while ENEO is also working to install electricity.

“I can conveniently say that all partners are conscious of the stakes and urgency to make this stadium viable,” Dr. Wonyu stated.