THINKING ALOUD COLUMN

                                                                                By:  Godycreative

                                                                         Twitter:  @Godycreative.

                              “WHEN FOOTBALL COMES TO TOWN”

I was reflecting on an old African idiom recently. It says: he who borrows to impress a visitor should know that he will bear the burden of debt alone when the visitor leaves. Of course when the visitor leaves, he returns to status quo because his action lacks process and intent.

This was my thought looking at sports infrastructural updates in Cameroon, prior to her hosting the 2016 African Women Cup of Nations. The sports event took place in November 2016, in two main cities of Yaoundé and Limbe, same cities where infrastructural updates focused.  It made the map of sports infrastructure rather looking good, even months after the competition had been won and lost.

In Yaoundé, rehabilitation of the existing national stadium was favoured, together with training pitches. One of the training pitches was fitted out for 1,000 seats, as well as the military stadium, fitted for 2,000 seats. According to Jacques Blanc, Deputy Managing Director of Louis Berger the French company that handled architectural and technical studies of these two training grounds, they conformed to African Football Federation (CAF) and the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) standards, which also include fitting out new grandstands and new locker rooms and bathroom stalls.

Contract for the rehabilitation of these training grounds was awarded to Chinese company Sino- hydro at the sum of 3.2 billion francs cfa. Another French company Alcor Equipment, specialist in modular and movable stands, had the contract to equip the terraces with seating, to the sum of 3.07 billion francs cfa. Another Chinese company – Shanxi Construction Engineering, picked up rehabilitation contract for the main pitches and athletics tracks at both Omnisport stadia in Yaoundé and Limbe, at 1.2 billion francs cfa. Road and hotel infrastructures also had a face lift, same as telecommunications infrastructure notably the Information Communication Technologies (ICTs).

If Yaoundé had more of rehabilitations, Limbe was a combination of rehabilitation and new construction, but more of new construction. A brand new 25.000 capacity stadium was constructed by the Chinese, including three training grounds. Two training grounds are in Limbe, which saw the complete “overhaul” of the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) Middle-farms sports field and rehabilitation work at the Limbe Centenary Stadium. One training ground was in Buea, regional capital of the Southwest. Buea is few kilometers away from Limbe and the training ground here saw the rehabilitation of the popular Molyko stadium, which used to be playing ground of defunct Mount Cameroon Football Club (MCFC), and also held matches of the Cameroon national inter-pool competition. Italian company Impressa Sartori won the contract of over 548 million francs cfa to equip the multi-purpose Limbe stadium, while Taiyuan Construction from China picked the job for fitting of stands in the stadium at 1.7 billion francs cfa.

Beside stadium, other infrastructures came alive. Cameroonian companies MAG Sarl, Buns and the Group Croisière BTP-Roud’Af, took charge of access and bypass roads of the Limbe multi-purpose sports stadium for 3.8 billion francs cfa. These roads linked the stadium with the national road from the seaside border town of Idenau through the west of Limbe, to Douala. New access road was opened from Buea, giving residents of Buea and its suburbs easy access to the stadium without a reach to Limbe main town. Rehabilitation works on national road linking Douala, Limbe and Idenau was also carried out, including in-roads within Limbe and Buea, though done by local council authorities.

 I saw the Limbe City Council going the extra mile to beautify the city: sculptors, painters and other handcrafters were engaged. Restaurants, recreation and leisure parks either had a face lift or constructed afresh. The sanitation company Hysacam was on its toes, keeping the city of Limbe spark and spin.

Hotel infrastructure had a boast. Government rehabilitated and expanded the famous Atlantic beach hotel Limbe. Other excellent private hotel facilities equally sprang up. In Buea, government awarded contracts for the rehabilitation of hotels, with contracts given to Cameroon companies. Gresceram International won 5.6 billion francs worth of job for the rehabilitation of the Buea Mountain Hotel, in collaboration with two other local companies. Somaf, another Cameroon outfit had 2.5 billion francs cfa contract for the rehabilitation and expansion of the Parliamentarian Flats Hotel in same city of Buea. These jobs had durations of 7 and 8 months respectively.

Social amenities also improved. Hospitals were upgraded - the Limbe regional hospital as a case in point. Electricity facilities were strengthened. In Limbe, we experienced uninterrupted lights for 24 hours, running into weeks. For the first time, I saw street lights in obscure corners of Limbe and Buea, like the glory of God came down in these cities, as if the powers that be remembered the people. To say the least, an abandoned street light in front of my house at Ngeme Limbe, was resuscitated.

For the first time after 1985/86, I saw major infrastructure face lift in Limbe. For the first time over decades, I saw government machineries working effectively, considering numerous visits made by the Minister of Sports and Physical Education, and other top government officials to project sites. The local organising committee of the women AFCON tournament was not left out, working assiduously in collaboration with regional sub- organising committees and top regional officials of government. Series of meetings were held to strategize and follow up on contracts awarded; ensured standards and deadlines were met. The heat was on and the pressure of the moment was to forestall failure, over come hitches, host a good tournament and satisfy CAF and Cameroon Head of State, Paul Biya, who wouldn’t have hesitated to wield the big stick if anything had gone wrong.

Then in utter amazement, I wondered why all the hullaballoo, for a tournament lasting barely two weeks. It set out on19 November and ended on 3 December 2016.  I wondered if it’s worth the heck: all the frets, efforts and humongous sums of money spent on contracts, most of which were awarded late 2015, on tight deadlines. Such deadlines entailed extra budgetary pressures to facilitate work which probably ended up as meal tickets for the boys. I grumbled at the duplicitousness of government and or policy makers, asking if indeed government could still provide for her people. The popular slogan “government machinery grinds slowly but surely” was immaterial here. There was speed, efficiency

and accomplishment. Government rolled its know-how and financial might - just because football was coming to town?

I remembered the state of sports infrastructures prior to Cameroon being given hosting right for the 2016 women afcon tournament. It was dilapidation. The Yaoundé Omnisport stadium, constructed over fourty years ago (1972) to host the then African Nations Cup, had been in tremendous depreciation as a result of age and poor maintenance, unable to meet international norms in communication, security, health, etc. Just few years back, the government of Japan financed renovation work in this stadium at 1.35 billion francs cfa, perhaps in a bid to save Cameroon further international embarrassment. The renovation touched areas like playground, presidential tribune, and modern public toilets for the first time, modern press cabin, mobile scoreboards and sound system.

 "The stadium will be equipped with over 30 public toilets, and pavements will be constructed from the entry into the stadium to the sitting spaces so as to control crowd movement during football encounters," said Ndinga Ndinga, sub-director of sports infrastructure for the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education. Some Cameroon football enthusiasts however did not share this optimism by the sub-director. They are not happy with the Japanese assistance, saying that it only makes the Cameroonian government look irresponsible. They question what the government has been doing with money gained from football events especially from Cameroon's participation in past international competitions, and also from local gate takings.

"I don't think this sounds well for us as a football nation, more so a nation that has produced football greats like Roger Milla and Eto'o," John Mbanda, a football fan said. He believes the government should have appealed for assistance to build a modern stadium rather than repairing an old dilapidated one; giving credence to some other opinions that the stadium did not meet international standards despite the renovation. The lighting system was 500 volts less the required international standard of 1,500. The athletic track also lacked a track, having seven of the required standard of eight. 

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The Douala reunification stadium (built same 1972) and the Garoua Rhoumji Adja stadium had also been in the same sorry state. Before now, the Centenary stadium in Limbe and even the Molyko Omnisport stadium Buea could be likened to an advanced play ground for primary school pupils. The state of the Centenary stadium was so deplorable until late Henry Njalla Quan, former CDC General Manager and President of Victoria United football club Limbe, single handedly gave it a slight face lift, though without turf but soft dusty sand manageable to kick ball around. Same was the state of other stadia around the country and even worst. Sometimes it’s shameful to watch clubs in elite divisions of Cameroon football league play matches on rough and red earth grounds.  Players have taken risks playing on such venues with lingering injuries that jeopardized their career. For a football nation like Cameroon: five times African champion, runners-up at the Fifa confederation cup, Olympic football gold medalist, six appearances at the Fifa world cup and notable names in African and world football; this is indeed a disturbing situation.

Experts say sports performance and good infrastructure go hand in glove. In as much as I agree with them, I also found it difficult to place their assertion side by side Cameroon’s overwhelming performance in international football. These victories do not reflect the state of sports infrastructure in the country.

Football indeed came to town in 2016 and had a successful stay. The 2016 women afcon was no less a success, even when Cameroon lost in the final. 2019 is just by the corner, when football will stage another come-back to town - a much bigger tournament with Cameroon hosting the expanded 24 team African Nations Cup for the first time after over 40 years. Amidst possible weather challenge in CAF shifting the tournament to June – July (which is almost the heart of rainy season in Cameroon), there’s

also growing concern over Cameroon’s ability to host a tournament of such magnitude. This concerns stem from gross infrastructural shortages, though government said she is intensifying efforts to provide and ensure that facilities to host the tournament will be ready on time.

Contract for rehabilitation work at the Reunification stadium in Douala, the economic capital has been given; so also the choice of contractor for the new stadium in the suburb of Douala, as stated by the

Minister of Sports and Physical Education, Bidoung Npkwatt. The Italian firm Piccini has been awarded contract to build a 60.000 capacity Olembe stadium in Yaoundé, for 163 billion francs cfa. Government has obtained a loan of 26 billion francs cfa from Eximbank USA to further finance sports infrastructure planned for the 2019 African Cup of Nations. The loan with an annual interest rate of 2.5%, will enable U.S firm Prime Potomac and its partners to carry out the rehabilitation of Rhoumji Adja stadium Garoua  and four training pitches in this northern city, to be equipped with solar power or mini solar power plant. This loan will also help to build and or upgrade hotel facilities in Garoua, to meet CAF standard.

Efforts of government shouldn’t be another race against time, with about two years left to start of the competition. There is no doubt African Cup of Nations is the most important football event in the continent. It gives opportunity to a host nation to come to football limelight and also upgrade varying facilities, with possible outcomes of increased interest in football that will help develop the game in the nation. This is therefore a chance for the government of Cameroon and football stakeholders to critically look into developing sports infrastructures in the country. Experience from organising the women afcon should ease out stampedes and pressures at the eve of major events. Processes should be properly engaged with clear – cut development plans: to provide and improve on infrastructure prior to and beyond 2019, and to imbibe the culture of maintenance. This will build up grassroots competencies in football and other sporting discipline.  Existing concepts like the programme to develop sports infrastructure (PNDIS in French acronym) should be strengthened, given that such programme aims to construct football stadia in Cameroon’s ten regions.