Stefanus Nashama
Ondangwa Town Council still needs N$190 million to construct a sports stadium.
In an interview with the Windhoek Observer last week, The mayor of Ondangwa, Paavo Amwele revealed that so far, the council has made N$60 million available for this project.
“This will be the biggest stadium in Namibia, and it will cost multiples of millions of dollars. Even more than N$250 million. But as time goes on, we will be able to have the correct estimated cost. The Town Council has put aside N$60 for the project, but we will need more funds,” he said.
He said that the work has completed phase one at a cost of N$8 million and is now proceeding to the next stage.
“So far, we have made progress with our work. The foundation of the fence will be done this month. In July, we will start with the installation of water pipes channelling other structures and planting of grass. Everything is going well,” he said.
Amwele believes the Ondangwa Stadium will be the biggest in the north, if not the country.
He explained that the stadium will include amenities such as lodging, fitness centres, dining options, sports bars, large lighting fixtures, and Babylon.
Amwele said the town council is engaging the relevant stakeholders, such as Namwater, NamPower and the Road Authority, for other services.
“As you know, we will need water, electricity and about eight kilometres of road from the Ondangwa main road to carry out the successful construction work. We then have to make sure we engage the stakeholders so that there is no delay in the process,” he explained.
Amwele made a plea to both public and private organisations for additional funding to guarantee the work’s timely completion.
The country’s sports facilities are insufficient to host international matches.
Since 2020, the government has had to spend millions of dollars to host the national soccer teams’ home matches abroad.
At the moment, the government is struggling to commence with the work of renovating and upgrading the Independence Stadium.
This year, the government allocated a budget of N$124 million to upgrade various sports facilities across the country.
