East Africa goes high tech
This article first appeared in the Winter 2008 issue
A USD 56m stadium has brought Tanzania a few steps closer to hosting a major international event
Less than two years away from the World Cup in South Africa – the biggest event ever to take place on the African continent – Tanzania now boasts a new national stadium. And according to Blandina Nyoni, the country’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, the venue will play a vital role for foreign countries preparing for the 2010 event.
The three-tier stadium rises high above other buildings in the Tanzanian capital “Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital of East Africa, is an ideal place for this magnificent facility,” Nyoni says. “The city has efficient transport systems and excellent accommodation and dining options. It will provide us with an excellent opportunity to host world sporting events in the future.”
With direct flights daily between Dar es Salaam and South Africa, the venue is well situated for overseas teams to use to acclimatise for the World Cup. As the East African country is expected to have yielded about USD 1bn to the economy from tourism in 2008 alone – an increase of USD 862m from 2007 – Nyoni foresees an even bigger future beyond 2010. “With the new sports complex, we expect sports tourism to add significantly to this number in the years to come.”
Nyoni has every reason to be proud. In a country where most houses are simple and only have one floor, the new three-tier stadium rises high above the other buildings in the Tanzanian capital. With a capacity of 60,000 seats the stadium is amongst the biggest in East Africa and caters for every type of visitor. “There are three different colours of seats, all in different price categories,” says Secretary General of the Tanzanian Football Federation, Fredrick Mwakalebela. Visiting the venue has become possible for many Tanzanians: “The cheapest tickets go for 5,000 Tanzanian shillings USD 4.5.”
Meeting international benchmarks
While China was gearing up for hosting the Beijing Olympics, elsewhere in the world Chinese firms were using their knowledge and skills to prepare other places for hosting a major event.
The Benjamin Mkapa national football stadium, named after the former president, was built by the Beijing Construction Engineering Group Company from China. The venue meets all FIFA, Olympic and IAAF requirements. The latter is important since the stadium also has an athletics track around the field.
According to stadium manager Celestine Charles Massanja, spectator safety is achieved by keeping a close eye on the visitors. “One hundred and forty-two security cameras help us to control the crowds. From our control room, we can see every movement within the stadium,” he says. A moat around the field prevents fans from running onto the field.
Re-defining luxury
Attending a match will be a completely new experience for many visitors. Many only remember the old 25,000 seat stadium that used to be the national stadium. The stadium was convenient: nothing more, nothing less. But the Benjamin Mkapa stadium is taking a modern approach, where “fans” have become “customers”.
The government has even tendered the management contract, hoping a professional company will take the opportunity to generate revenue. While the current management has made sure it included the old-fashioned vendors, carrying boxes to supply sodas, snacks and beers to the audience, in the new venue, food courts have also been constructed.
Spectators seated at the main stand are even more fortunate. Massanja says: “Inside the VIP section is a big restaurant, including a comfortable bar with plenty of beverages to keep them happy.” Should they miss the action, a big LED-screen will provide the opportunity to review decisive moments of the match. This opens a new window for generating revenue from advertising opportunities.
Luxury suites or “skyboxes” and even offices have been included in the main stand to enable management to generate more revenue, an income that is more than welcome. “I think the new stadium has created a new age for football development in Tanzania. Football cannot develop without money and this stadium creates money. When it is sold out, we can generate 600,000 dollars,” Fredrick Mwakalebela says.
Heightening the drama
Following the trend elsewhere in the world, floodlights for the new stadium have been incorporated in the canopy. The roof extends inwards, covering the uppermost seats. It offers good views without obstructions for fans. The structure also helps to capture the roar of the crowd, heightening the drama and atmosphere in the stands. This all contributes to a reduced impact on the lives of those living close to the venue.
Run-off water from the roof is carefully reused. A high-tech irrigation system has been installed to ensure the proper growth of the natural grass.
“Under the pitch is a water reservoir. During the rainy season, the extra water is stored here. This way, we will always have enough water to keep the natural grass green, even during the dry season,” Massanja explains. For training purposes teams can use the artificial grass field that is installed in the old national stadium that borders the new one.
A bright future
Dar es Salaam’s new stadium is only the first step for Tanzania to play a major role in Africa’s future as a host for sports events. “The stadium is part of a bigger sports project,” explains Massanja. The project includes the main stadium, warming-up ground, in-door stadium, a sports theatre, an Olympic standard swimming pool, sports village and college and training grounds. The old, pre-independence stadium is part of the precinct and is still used for smaller events.
“Some old buildings will be destroyed, and a new headquarters for the National Sports Council of Tanzania will be constructed here. This stadium is phase one and is now almost completed. But after that we will continue to build phase two, in which a five-star hotel, swimming pool and basketball courts will be constructed. In a separate sports hall we will provide space for other sports like futsal.”
Dressing room facilities of the new stadium will be used by a variety of different teams. The new stadium can accommodate four teams at the same time – “something that is useful during tournaments,” Massanja laughs.
The Tanzanian government is serious about its intentions. While the new stadium still has offices available in the main stand, it has already signed up perhaps the most important tenant they could get: the President of Tanzania, who certainly has high hopes for the future of the venue.
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