The construction work of Bahir Dar International Stadium is set to be finalized with a cost of one billion birr in one year. Amhara Region will cover 70 percent of the cost, whereas the rest will be covered by Midroc Ethiopia.
The stadium is expected to comply with the Confederation of African Football’s 16 fundamental requirements. It is the second mega stadium project next to Adey Abeba, which is under construction in the hearts of Addis with over five billion birr, of which 2.5 billion birr is already spent for the first phase of the construction.
The construction of Bahir Dar Stadium was started in 2008 by Midroc with a budget of 780 million birr. The second phase of the construction of the stadium launched in the presence of Yilkal Kefale (PhD), Amhara Regional State president, Temsgen Tiruneh, director general of the Federal Information and Network Security Agency, Kajela Merdasa, Minister of Culture and Sports, Jemal Ahmed, CEO of Midroc Investment Group, and various investors of the region.
Midroc will remain as a main contractor of the project, while MH Engineering has been contracted as a consultant. The construction of the stadium will be completed before all other stadiums conclude and will be fully ready to host international matches, according to Kejela.
Yilkal pointed out that the project will have an immense contribution for the country’s sports, “and the main focus is not to start the construction but to complete it.” He also announced that they will improve not only the stadium but also the fenced areas outside to make it more comfortable for the youth.
In 2015, the stadium received recognition from CAF and FIFA and managed to host various international matches. In March 2015, the stadium hosted the CAF Confederation Cup match between Dedebit and Cote d’Or of Seychelles.
The stadium also hosted the 2017 African Cup of Nations qualification match between Ethiopia and Lesotho. The game was attended by more than 70,000 spectators, which was well over the capacity of the stadium.
However, CAF banned the stadium from hosting international games after the CAF inspection team checked the stadium in terms of basic organizational requirements. As per the assessment, the playing field failed to meet at least seven criteria. Problems in VIP areas, media centers, training facilities, and low-standard medical rooms contributed to the ban.
