BY THE ARUSHA NEWS REPORTER
VICE-PRESIDENT Emmanuel Nchimbi has directed relevant authorities to accelerate the construction of roads serving the new Arusha Stadium to ensure they are completed ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Nchimbi issued the directive during an inspection of the stadium last week where he reviewed progress on the venue and its supporting infrastructure.
He instructed the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, together with the Arusha Regional Administration, to implement the government’s directive requiring all roads providing access to the stadium to be completed before the tournament.
The infrastructure project includes a 21.2-kilometre network of paved roads connecting the Arusha-Babati highway to the city bypass. It also involves the construction of a major bridge along Essuri Road.
The 2027 tournament, officially branded “AFCON Pamoja 2027”, will be jointly hosted by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda from 19 June to 17 July 2027. It will be the first AFCON staged by three countries and will mark the competition’s return to East Africa for the first time since Ethiopia hosted it in 1976. “Pamoja”, a Swahili word meaning “together”, reflects the three countries’ joint hosting arrangement.
Arusha Regional Commissioner (RC) Amos Makalla said construction of the stadium has reached 88 per cent and was expected to be completed by the end of August.
Preparations are also continuing at other venues earmarked for the tournament. Renovation work at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam was ongoing. The New Amaan Complex in Zanzibar has already been completed.
