Minister says new BT stadium designs ready next month

M inister of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development Francis Kasaila has said designs for a new stadium in Blantyre should be completed before the end of the current financial year which ends on June 30.

The minister was responding to a question on the progress of the project earmarked for part of Njamba Freedom Park.

Said Kasaila: “We are expecting to complete the detailed designs by the end of the financial year and, hopefully, get resources in the [next] budget for construction.”

Construction of the new stadium is estimated to cost between $100 million (about K73.4 billion) and $50 million (about K110.1 billion).

Kasaila also said construction of the facility will take about two years.

“Roughly, we are estimating that the project could take two years and that is why we decided to renovate Kamuzu Stadium because as government we still have an obligation to provide one while waiting for the construction of the new one,” he said.

And speaking when he addressed a developmental rally in Lunzu,  Blantyre, recently,  President Peter Mutharika reiterated that his administrationis serious about constructing a new stadium in the commercial city.

The President first pledged to construct a new stadium in Blantyre when he was campaigning for the presidency ahead of the May 20 2014 Tripartite Elections which he won.

In the current budget, government allocated K1.5 billion for designs and construction of the facility’s first phase.

The allocation was part of the K3.65 billion for sports infrastructure development. n