The government has approved Hoima City to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) games after acquiring 20 acres of land to construct a new stadium for the showpiece event. 

On Tuesday, November 21, a team of officials from the education ministry, FUFA, and the National Council of Sports (NCS) led by the state sports minister Peter Ogwang, education ministry permanent secretary Ketty Lamaro and FUFA president Moses Magogo, inspected the land at Mparo in Hoima City. 

Ogwang said the stadium is expected to host four teams and that they are negotiating with the tourism ministry to ensure that the hotels meet international standards. 

“We have three stadiums, Namboole, Nakivubo and Hoima. We chose Hoima because of the Kabalega International Airport which will be ready by next year,” he said. 

The runway is currently being marked

Magogo said FUFA was awaiting designs from the contractor before construction work could start, with Hoima stadium included in Uganda’s joint bid with Kenya and Tanzania to host the AFCON games. 

“We appreciate the family of Hon. Pius Wakabi for donating 10 acres of land and as FUFA, we have also acquired more 10 acres in Hoima for the construction of the stadium. The President and the Minister for Education Janet Museveni have since approved the move,” he said. 

Magogo added that they chose Hoima because of the proximity to Kabalega Intentional Airport which will be very crucial during the games. 

Pius Rujumba Wakabi, the MP for Bugahya County, pledged total support for the project and asked the people of Hoima to embrace it. 

“As a family, we donated 10 acres of land because we understand the significance of the project to the country and we are happy that FUFA and the government have embraced the idea and the stadium is coming to Hoima,” Wakabi said. 

More infrastructure 

Minister Ogwang said that they had also inspected several facilities in Hoima and Masindi districts which will be used as training grounds and accommodating people. 

The minister however said that they want additional land to construct more sports facilities at Mparo where the the government is set to construct the stadium. 

Bryan Kaboyo, the Hoima City mayor, said the city council was in discussion with German investors to construct modern facilities around Hoima city. 

“Recently we had a high-level meeting of investors from Germany led by their minister, and they are ready to come and invest in Hoima. I believe most of the facilities will be ready,” Kaboyo said. 

Kabalega International Airport is on track to have its first cargo plane landing test in December 2023 which is a major milestone in Uganda's oil and gas development. 

The airport has a 3.5km runway that is 45 meters wide, with shoulders of 15 meters on each side. The airport’s apron can accommodate up to four of the largest cargo planes, with two turn pads on either side. 

This significant milestone comes after extensive civil works for the $309 million project that was initially slated to open in 2022, but progress on the runway stands at an impressive 98% completion. 

SBC Uganda Ltd, in collaboration with SBI International Holdings, commenced the massive project on April 18, 2018. The remaining work includes plans for a control tower, with discussions on funding and project extensions underway. 

Amos Muriisa, the public relations representative for SBC Uganda, confirmed that the airport anticipates its first cargo plane landing by December 2023. 

Muriisa said that they have constructed cargo terminal warehouses which will be handling the heavy machines and the crews. 

“In this phase, we have constructed cargo terminals because this airport will be majorly handling cargo planes and since we still have enough space in future after the completion of the refinery the government may think of constructing passenger terminals,” Muriisa said. 

Muriisa emphasised the commitment to quality, assuring Ugandans that the project has been executed to the highest standards. 

“This airport has the capacity to handle four largest aircraft at the same time, four Antonov 225 aircraft can park here at the same time,” Muriisa said.