The Minister of Sports and Physical Education (Minsep), Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, visited on April 14 the construction site of the Olembé stadium in Yaoundé to assess the progress of work.

The member of the government said some works on the site have slowed down due to the Covid-19. This is the case, for example, of the lighting masts intended for the two training fields annexed to this 60,000-seat sports complex. Only part of this equipment has arrived in Cameroon. Due to the closure of borders, additional equipment is slow to be delivered.

“Foreign experts in charge of installing these lighting masts cannot for the moment enter Cameroon because Cameroon's air and land borders are closed,” explains Franck Mathiere, Magil's vice president in charge of international operations.

Drainage work on the playground has been completed and seeding operations have been carried out. “For the main stadium, we are working on the three levels in parallel, as well as on the roads and the future heliport. Concerning the main area, we were able to sow yesterday (April 13, 2020) after having cleared the equipment and seeds through customs. So, we are starting the watering and in a few weeks, the grass will become green and we will keep it under maintenance. Now it takes us three months for the seeds to grow to grass before the grass takes root,” said the vice-president.

Ancillary works on sections A and B are expected to be completed in three weeks, according to Magil. Works on the locker room area are also close to completion.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is urging Cameroon to deliver the infrastructure dedicated to the AFCON competition a year ahead of the event. This means that the infrastructure should be delivered next June.

BE