Chinese aid

Across Africa, China has enhanced sports development by building several stadiums (see box). These ambitious projects are made possible by loans negotiated with China Exim Bank, the state-owned bank that provides much of the country's investment on the continent.

From Algiers to Maputo, Dar es Salaam to Conakry, the number of stadiums built by the Chinese, or with their help, is increasing. According to Chinese News Agency Xinhua, China has already constructed 52 stadiums in Africa.

However the conundrum is that stadiums built by China often cannot be maintained by the host country. Tamale Stadium in Ghana built for the 2008 ACN by the Shanghai Construction Group is currently unable to meet its operation costs. Mozambique's China-built Zimpeto stadium in Maputo, the biggest and most modern sports complex in the country, with a capacity for 42,000 seats, is in the same boat. It cost $60 million with the main purpose of hosting the All-Africa Games in 2010; it now lies in disrepair.

In some instances, China provides assistance to maintain and upgrade stadiums. A case in point is the Moi International Sports Center, Kasarani in Nairobi, which after decades of neglect, has been given a new facelift worth $12.5 million paid for by Shengli Construction Company of China.

Building and repairing stadiums is not only a way for China to win over football-lovers, but also gives Africa the opportunity to set itself up with the related infrastructure it is so desperately lacking, in sport and in other areas.

In Gabon, 2012 ACN co-hosts, the 40,000-seat stadium in Libreville is Chinese-built. Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba said staging such a big sports event means building infrastructure along with the sports stadium.

"We've worked on roads, telecommunications, airports, hospitals, and so on. Overall, the Africa Cup of Nations has been good for the country," he said.

Are these Chinese stadiums white elephants and mere exercises in stadium diplomacy? Not to Ondimba. He stressed that the huge investment in infrastructure his country undertook for the ACN has not left any "white elephants."

Ondimba, who spoke before the Cup final, said, "We've only got dark elephants, not white elephants."  He believes the new stadiums put pressure on government to bring in new youth policies and reform the management of football clubs to produce stronger teams. "If the [quality] show is there, people will go to the stadiums," said Ondimba.

Whether the modern sports stadiums in Africa will ultimately motivate countries to improve their sporting codes and find initiatives to keep them viable, or, the prohibitive costs of maintaining the venues will cause them to fall into disrepair is debatable. In the long run the feel-good factor of locals viewing modern architecture on their landscape may just fall short of paying the bills.

(Reporting from Kenya) 

Africa Stadiums Built With Chinese Aid

>Algeria

Alger-Baraki (40,000 seats) and Oran (40,000 seats)

>Angola

Built for 2010 Africa Cup of Nations

Luanda (40,000 seats), and Benguela, Cabinda and Lubango (all three 25,000 seats).

>Cameroon

Limbe (15,000 seats under construction), Bafoussam (15,000 seats), Yaounde (60,000 seats), and Douala (30,000 seats)

> Congo (Brazzaville)

Marien Ngouabi Stadium, Owando (13,000 seats), Municipal Stadium, Pointe-Noire (13,000 seats), and Denis Sassou-Nguesso Stadium, Dolisie (6,000 seats).

>Ghana

Built for 2008 Africa Cup of Nations

Sekondi-Takoradi and Tamale (20,000 seats)

>Mali

Built for 2002 Africa Cup of Nations

Bamako (55,000 seats), and Gao, Kayes, Mopti, Segou, and Sissako (all 15,000 seats).

>Mozambique

Built for 2010 All Africa Games

Maputo Stadium (42,000 seats)

>Tanzania

Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium, Dar es Salaam (60,000 seats)

>Togo

Kegue Stadium, Lome (30,000 seats)

>Uganda

Nelson Mandela National Stadium, Kampala (42,000 seats)