Turkish contractor Summa has completed a 10,000 seat arena on a 28,000 sq m site in the Rwandan capital of Kigali after a construction period of only six months.
Some 1,200 local and 500 Turkish workers were employed on the scheme, with work progressing in both day and night shifts, reports Rwandan newspaper The New Times.Â
The Kigali Arena will host sports such as basketball and tennis, as well as concerts and conferences. It was completed on 5 July, and is awaiting an inauguration date from the Rwandan government. It will gain continent-wide exposure when it hosts the 2021 African Basketball Championship.
The funding for the scheme was provided jointly by the Rwandan government and Summa. Work on it was overseen by the Rwandan Housing Authority.
Summa, which is based in Ankara, has a history of delivering fast-track international projects. In 2016, it took over and delivered the troubled Kigali Congress Centre in 11 months, and the 35,000 sq m Dakar Arena in Senegal in less than a year.
The Kigali venue, which will be the biggest of its kind in East Africa, contains 13 cafes and bars, a restaurants, six changing rooms a fitness centre, a media hall, and a modern doping control room.
Image: Work under way on the Kigali Arena (Summa)
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