The First Lady and Education Minister, Janet Museveni, called the new Hoima stadium a major national achievement. Speaking at the opening, she said it was a fantastic Christmas present for the country and proof of what peace can build. She specifically credited the president for getting the funding and process sorted so the one hundred twenty-nine million dollar project finished early. A Turkish company built it in a year, beating the original schedule by four months.
She told local people in the Bunyoro region to be proud of the facility, calling it a shared asset. She linked it to other government plans, like a new public university and oil projects in the area. This stadium is part of a bigger push to have at least ten sports sites ready for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament that Uganda is co-hosting. She listed several other stadiums and university fields currently under construction or upgrade across the country. She stated that all this construction is fully paid for by the government, which she says shows a strong economy made possible by lasting peace.
The minister also thanked the national soccer federation for pushing to host the tournament, calling that pressure helpful. She said a sports council would run the Hoima stadium professionally to make money for its own upkeep. Another sports official at the event, Peter Ogwang, said this was one of the best-managed government projects lately. He said planning started early and sped up after the host rights were secured. He thinks public support came from being transparent and letting people see the construction site while it was being built.
She told local people in the Bunyoro region to be proud of the facility, calling it a shared asset. She linked it to other government plans, like a new public university and oil projects in the area. This stadium is part of a bigger push to have at least ten sports sites ready for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament that Uganda is co-hosting. She listed several other stadiums and university fields currently under construction or upgrade across the country. She stated that all this construction is fully paid for by the government, which she says shows a strong economy made possible by lasting peace.
The minister also thanked the national soccer federation for pushing to host the tournament, calling that pressure helpful. She said a sports council would run the Hoima stadium professionally to make money for its own upkeep. Another sports official at the event, Peter Ogwang, said this was one of the best-managed government projects lately. He said planning started early and sped up after the host rights were secured. He thinks public support came from being transparent and letting people see the construction site while it was being built.
