{"id":91212,"date":"2025-12-02T13:44:55","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T13:44:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/sports-minister-projects-march-completion-for-stadium-repairs"},"modified":"2025-12-02T14:53:43","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T14:53:43","slug":"sports-minister-projects-march-completion-for-stadium-repairs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sports-minister-projects-march-completion-for-stadium-repairs","title":{"rendered":"Sports Minister Projects March Completion for Stadium Repairs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>Bakary Y. Badjie, The Gambia\u2019s Minister of Youth and Sports, told lawmakers on Wednesday that rehabilitation work at the Independence Stadium is now expected to be completed by the end of March\u2014just ahead of the country\u2019s next international football fixture. But he cautioned that the timeline remains heavily dependent on timely funding and coordination with the Ministry of Works.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cEnd of March is the course,\u201d Mr. Badjie said, noting that resurfacing of the running track is among the key tasks scheduled for completion during that period. \u201cHopefully the end of March will be the completion time before our next international game.\u201d<\/p>\n

The minister said persistent delays in government payments to contractors have slowed progress on site, pushing back deadlines despite what he described as careful planning.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the current work is expected to be completed by the end of March based on what is on paper,\u201d he told the National Assembly. \u201cHopefully we will be able to get the funds on time, because, like I reported here, last time even the current payment that should have been done in October is still not done, and we are already in December.\u201d<\/p>\n

Failure to release funds, he added, leaves contractors unable to continue work. \u201cIf we don\u2019t pay the contractor, they don\u2019t work. Those are the issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Badjie said he has grown increasingly cautious about offering precise dates, citing factors that fall outside his ministry\u2019s control, including procurement and approval processes at the Ministry of Works and the schedule of financial disbursements.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonorable Speaker, I actually stopped giving specific dates because they keep quoting me based on the dates I give, and I give dates based on two reasons: one is what the Ministry of Works, who are the workers, gives us as a timeline. Secondly, based on financial reasons, these two things are key in the stadium work, so sometimes when I say this month and then there is a delay in the disbursement of funds, which is not controlled by us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The stadium, closed to international competition following a CAF inspection, has undergone a protracted refurbishment process marked by funding gaps and shifting deadlines. The minister\u2019s latest projection places renewed pressure on the government to ensure financial commitments are met in the coming months.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. Bakary Y. Badjie, The Gambia\u2019s Minister of Youth and Sports, told lawmakers on Wednesday that rehabilitation work at the Independence Stadium is now expected to be completed by the end of March\u2014just ahead of the country\u2019s next international football fixture. But he cautioned that the timeline remains heavily dependent on timely funding […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":91211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-91212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nSports Minister Projects March Completion for Stadium Repairs - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bakary Y. 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