by Patson Phiri – SANF 06 No 75
Southern Africa has a mouth-watering sports diary from 2010 to 2011 when the region will host two prestigious continental tournaments plus the coveted FIFA World Cup finals. vAngola will host the 26th edition of the African Cup of Nations finals in 2010 while South Africa is already in high preparation gear to host the FIFA World Cup finals in the same year.
Zambia is the 2011 host of the All-Africa games and plans to construct modern stadiums within the next four years. The All-Africa Games is a multi-disciplinary event.
The executive committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), at its meeting in Cairo on 4 September, selected Angola as the host nation of the Africa cup finals.
Angola beat four other countries to raise morale in sports followers within the 14-member Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The southern African country was selected ahead of Libya, Gabon/Equatorial Guinea (joint bid) and Nigeria who were also in contest for the privilege to stage the event.
The African Cup of Nations has become a major international sporting event in Africa with a high level of competition since the first edition that was hosted by Sudan in 1957.
CAF premised its decision to select Angola on proper organisation and clear plans for construction and renovation of infrastructure such as stadiums, hotels, airports, transport and health, among others.
Other elements that were considered included the environment for media coverage, which caters for audiovisual elements and marketing operations.
Angola becomes the second southern African country to host the African Cup of Nations finals after South Africa, which staged the event in 1996 and went on to win the trophy.
The 2012 edition of the tournament will be jointly hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea while Libya will host the event in 2014.
Nigeria has been designated as a substitute host country and will take the place of any country that fails to meet the standards required to host the finals. The west African country has already hosted the finals twice, in 1980 and 2000 when it co-hosted with Ghana.
The Angolan Football Federation plans to invest US$140 million to construct four new stadiums ahead of 2010.
The stadiums will be built in the capital Luanda, Cabinda, Benguela and Huila provinces while more funds would be released for the construction of hotels, improving communication standards and health facilities.
Angola is transiting from a 27-year long civil war, which ended after the killing of UNITA rebel leader Jonas Savimbi in 2002. The end to the civil war has led to massive reconstruction of Angola’s infrastructure, sparking an economic boom.
Buoyed by economic vibrancy, the Angolan national soccer team made a maiden appearance at the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals in Germany.
Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos has expressed satisfaction on CAF’s decision to select his country as the host of the African Nations Cup finals in 2010. He said the choice translates to the prestige that the country has been seeking to attain following various successes in many fields boosted by the economic improvements.
In 2005, Angola achieved a real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 15.6 percent, the highest in southern Africa. This came on the back of improved oil production since the restoration of peace after years of civil wars.
The economy is projected to grow further and expected to reach 20.6 percent by year-end.
The non-oil sector has also registered a steady growth mainly in the agricultural field due to the extensive de-mining programme and the introduction of irrigation schemes.
Angola has also embarked on a massive programme of social reintegration of persons that were displaced by the civil war, confirming the restoration of permanent peace and stability.
