Akii-Bua Stadium Hits 85% Completion, January 2027 Handover Targeted
Construction of the US$129 million Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium in Lira City has reached 85 per cent completion, with the contractor targeting January 20, 2027, to finish the remaining works.
Muhammad Nazih, the project manager for SAMCO National Construction Company, announced the progress while speaking to journalists during a tour of the facility on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
Nazih said the main stadium is nearly complete, with construction teams now concentrating on finishing works, landscaping and the remaining facilities in Zone Two.
“Overall, our progress on this project has reached 85 per cent. Our target is to finish the remaining works and hand over the project by January 20, 2027,” Nazih said.
He explained that the outstanding works include final touches on the main stadium, landscaping around the facility and finishing works on buildings in Zone Two.
According to Nazih, construction teams are undertaking the remaining activities simultaneously to ensure the project is completed within the planned timeframe.
“The main stadium is almost complete, with only the final touches remaining. We still have landscaping to complete, while work in Zone Two is progressing with doors, windows, external finishes and other finishing activities,” he said.
Nazih explained that the stadium project is divided into two major zones, each comprising different sports and supporting facilities.
Zone One includes the main stadium, entrance facilities, parking areas and landscaping, while Zone Two comprises a mini-arena with an indoor capacity of approximately 2,000 people, a 60-bed hostel, a clubhouse, a swimming pool and several outdoor sports facilities.
The sports facilities include five-a-side football pitches, a multi-purpose sports area, tennis courts and training facilities intended to support athletes and other users.
The project also includes approximately 1.5 kilometres of perimeter fencing with 23 gates and a 1.8-kilometre ring road around the stadium.
The supporting facilities are expected to expand the stadium’s use beyond major football matches by providing space for training, accommodation and other sporting activities
Meanwhile, Engineer Emre Erisik of Turkey-based Integral Group, a subcontractor to SAMCO responsible for athletic surfaces and spectator facilities, said the main scoreboard and primary pitches were reported to be 100 per cent complete.
Erisik said work had shifted from major installations to cultivating the hybrid grass surface on the main pitch, which comprises 80 per cent natural grass and 20 per cent artificial fibres.
He revealed that the main pitch was seeded the previous week and was now undergoing irrigation and sunlight monitoring to support grass growth.
The Integral Group engineer said his company’s responsibilities include the main stadium pitch, secondary training pitches, five-a-side football courts, two athletics tracks, spectator seating, changing rooms and scoreboard installations.
Other facilities under its scope include PVC flooring, saunas and squash courts.
Erisik confirmed that the overall project completion rate stood at 85 per cent, in line with the assessment provided by SAMCO, with handover expected in January 2027.
The US$129 million Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium project is designed to provide a 20,000-seat sporting facility in Lira City, strengthening the region’s capacity to host major sporting competitions and other events.
