The government has brought in experts from Turkey to carry out emergency repairs aimed at addressing water stagnation on the playing field at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
The stadium was closed following the CAF Confederation Cup quarter-final match between Simba SC and Egypt’s Al Masry, after concerns were raised about the condition of the pitch.
Gerson Msigwa, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports and also the Government Chief Spokesperson, said the ongoing repairs are being conducted alongside the installation of 62,000 new seats of which 42,000 have already been fitted.
“Our target is to complete all the renovations by June 15 this year,” said Msigwa. “This will ensure the stadium is fully ready to host the upcoming CHAN tournament. After that, we will proceed with major upgrades, including the installation of natural grass on the pitch.”
In a related development, Msigwa revealed that the government is constructing a state-of-the-art sports arena at Tanganyika Packers in Kawe, Dar es Salaam, to accommodate large-scale events.
“We’re also building several other stadiums in Dar es Salaam and Arusha. Once completed, these facilities will help reduce the heavy reliance on Benjamin Mkapa Stadium,” he added.