China-funded national stadium to complete in Malawi

The Malawi government has expressed satisfaction with a chinese-funded national stadium scheduled to complete later this month in Malawi capital, Lilongwe.

In a tour of the multi-million dollar facility on Wednesday, Minister of Transport and Public Works Francis Kasaila said the stadium would not only change the face of the city but also put Malawi on the map in as far as international games are concerned.

The stadium which can house more than 40,000 people is almost completed and it is expected to be handed over to Malawi government later in the month.

"This is a world-class facility and we are very proud of it," said Kasaila.

The state-of-the-art stadium is constructed by a chinese contractor to the tune of 70 million U.S. dollars, a concessional loan to be paid back by Malawi government in 20 years.

Construction of the stadium commenced on July 1, 2013 and the completion date is November 30, 2015.

Among other facilities are the 56 lounges where families and sponsor groups will have the luxury of watching live events in private.

It also has a press gallery, a gym and Olympic standard synthetic running track around the pitch, and the playing field is covered with special drought-resistant grass imported from South Africa.

Malawi government has since named the stadium Bingu National Stadium in honor of Malawi's former president Bingu Mutharika who initiated the project with the Chinese government. Endit