LIRA, UGANDA — Construction of the US$129 million Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium in Lira City has reached 85 percent completion, with the contractor targeting January 20, 2027, to finish the remaining works.
Muhammad Nazih, project manager for SAMCO National Construction Company, announced the progress Tuesday during a media tour of the facility, saying the main stadium is nearly complete and teams are now concentrating on finishing works, landscaping, and remaining facilities in Zone Two.
“Overall, our progress on this project has reached 85 percent. Our target is to finish the remaining works and hand over the project by January 20, 2027,” Nazih said.
He explained that outstanding works include final touches on the main stadium, landscaping around the facility, and finishing works on buildings in Zone Two. Construction teams are undertaking the remaining activities simultaneously to ensure completion within the planned timeframe.
“The main stadium is almost complete, with only the final touches remaining. We still have landscaping to complete, while work in Zone Two is progressing with doors, windows, external finishes, and other finishing activities,” he said.
The stadium project is divided into two major zones. Zone One includes the main stadium, entrance facilities, parking areas, and landscaping. Zone Two comprises a mini-arena with an indoor capacity of approximately 2,000 people, a 60-bed hostel, a clubhouse, a swimming pool, and several outdoor sports facilities.
The outdoor facilities include five-a-side football pitches, a multi-purpose sports area, tennis courts, and training facilities intended to support athletes and other users. The project also includes approximately 1.5 kilometers of perimeter fencing with 23 gates and a 1.8-kilometer ring road around the stadium.
The supporting facilities are expected to expand the stadium’s use beyond major football matches by providing space for training, accommodation, and other sporting activities.
Engineer Emre Erisik of Turkey-based Integral Group, a subcontractor to SAMCO responsible for athletic surfaces and spectator facilities, said the main scoreboard and primary pitches are 100 percent complete. He said work had shifted from major installations to cultivating the hybrid grass surface on the main pitch, which comprises 80 percent natural grass and 20 percent artificial fibers.
Erisik revealed that the main pitch was seeded the previous week and is now undergoing irrigation and sunlight monitoring to support grass growth. His company’s responsibilities include the main stadium pitch, secondary training pitches, five-a-side football courts, two athletics tracks, spectator seating, changing rooms, and scoreboard installations, as well as PVC flooring, saunas, and squash courts.
Erisik confirmed the overall project completion rate at 85 percent, in line with SAMCO’s assessment, with handover expected in January 2027.
The Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium project is designed to provide a 20,000-seat sporting facility in Lira City, strengthening the region’s capacity to host major sporting competitions and other events.
