LIRA, Uganda — Construction of the Shs470 billion Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium in Lira City is 85 percent complete as work enters its final phase.

The remaining works include finishing the main stadium structure, maintaining the playing surfaces and completing supporting sports and hospitality facilities. Construction began in May 2025 under a 20-month contract scheduled to end in January 2027.

The facility is expected to support Uganda’s preparations to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Kenya and Tanzania.

Eng. Mohammed Nazih, the project manager at SAMCO National Construction Company, the Egyptian firm undertaking the works, disclosed the progress during a site visit by Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Trade and Tourism.

Nazih said the main stadium structure was nearing completion, with construction teams concentrating on the remaining sections to ensure the project is delivered within the agreed timeframe.

Eng. Emre Erisik of Integral Group, a subcontractor responsible for the playing surfaces, said hybrid grass had been planted on both the main stadium pitch and the training pitch, which also has an athletics track.

He said the engineers were undertaking maintenance work to ensure the surfaces meet professional sporting standards. The two pitches comprise 80 percent natural grass and 20 percent artificial turf, a combination intended to improve durability and playing performance. Other training facilities are being fitted with 100 percent artificial turf.

Integral Group’s scope of work also includes the athletics tracks, spectator seating, training pitches, five-a-side football courts and players’ facilities, including changing rooms, saunas and squash courts.

William Achol, a Lira City resident and executive director of Corruption Brakes Crusade, described the progress as encouraging after touring the stadium and its supporting facilities.

Achol said he had also inspected other components of the project, including the swimming pool and buildings designed to support the stadium’s operations beyond the continental football tournament.

The stadium is designed to accommodate 20,000 spectators and is being developed in two zones. The first zone comprises the main stadium, entrance gates and parking areas, while the second includes additional sports and hospitality facilities intended to expand the complex’s use beyond football.

These facilities include a 2,000-seat indoor multi-purpose arena, a 60-bed hotel, a clubhouse, a 25-metre semi-Olympic swimming pool, training pitches and outdoor courts for basketball, netball, volleyball and badminton.

The project also includes parking space for up to 1,000 vehicles, a 1.8-kilometre ring road, approximately 1.5 kilometres of perimeter fencing, utility installations, a sewage treatment plant, information and communications technology systems, landscaping and security infrastructure.

Once completed, the Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium is expected to provide a major sporting venue for northern Uganda, expanding access to sports facilities while supporting the country’s preparations to host AFCON 2027.