By Fatou Sillah
The Minister of Youth and Sports, Bakary Y. Badjie, has disclosed that the cost of renovating the Independence Stadium has so far reached D376 million, noting that the final figure is likely to increase as work on the project continues.
Speaking at a press conference, Minister Badjie explained that the amount spent to date does not represent the total cost of the project, as several components of the renovation are still ongoing.
“So far it is three hundred and seventy six million dalasis, but that is not what the work will take because work is ongoing and things that are not yet done will eventually attract additional cost,” he said.
The minister explained that the stadium renovation was initially designed to be implemented in three distinct phases, each with its own budget. According to him, the original plan was to undertake only the first phase, based on the resources available at the time.
“One thing was clear from the beginning, the work was divided into three phases, phase one, phase two, and phase three and each one of those phases has its own cost,” he stated.
However, he said the scope of the project changed following an inspection by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which determined that completing only the first phase would not be sufficient to meet the required standards for approval.
“CAF inspection said no, that phase one alone is not enough, you need to bring phase two into what you’re doing in order to be able to get an approval and that is what brought about the second additional costing,” He Said.
Minister Badjie further clarified that certain items, including floodlights, were not part of the original renovation plan. He added that CAF approval is not strictly dependent on the installation of floodlights, as matches can still be played during daytime hours.
“The floodlights were not initially part of it and CAF wouldn’t deny you approval based on those lights because you can play your matches during the day,” He Said.
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