Independence Stadium Upgrade Faces N$2bn Shortfall
Government says the long-delayed Independence Stadium upgrade has reached a key implementation milestone, with preparations now underway to appoint a contractor following the completion of feasibility work — although more than N$2 billion is still required to fully execute the project and bring it up to international standard.
The development follows President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah announcing during the State of the Nation Address (SONA) this month that the feasibility study for the stadium upgrade had been completed, confirming progress towards implementation of the long-awaited project.
Speaking to Network Media Hub (NMH) last week, Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture, Dino Ballotti, said the project has now reached procurement readiness after all technical documentation was finalised.
“We can share that the documents have all been frozen, which essentially means we are now just waiting to appoint a contractor,” he said.
Ballotti said government is now preparing a Cabinet submission that will determine how the multi-billion-dollar funding gap will be addressed in order to proceed with full implementation of the upgrade.
He explained that while around N$60 million has been allocated in the current budget vote towards the Independence Stadium upgrade, this represents only a starting point and is not sufficient to deliver the scale of work required.
“Again, we can all assume that it’s not necessarily sufficient to do what needs to be done, but it’s a starting point,” he said.
The remainder of the project cost — estimated at more than N$2 billion — will now form part of the Cabinet submission aimed at securing full financing for the upgrade.
“Right now, we’re in preparation to have a Cabinet submission to see how we can fund, finance and find the N$2 billion-plus for this Independence Stadium upgrade,” Ballotti said.
The funding challenge comes despite earlier expenditure linked to the project. Media reports earlier this year by the Namibia Press Agency indicated that the Ministry of Sport had already spent around N$36 million on consultancy fees for the planned upgrade, with the figure disclosed by executive director in the ministry, Gerald Vries.
While the project has progressed beyond feasibility, Ballotti said the key challenge remains compliance with Confederation of African Football (CAF) standards, which continue to prevent Namibia from hosting international matches.
“We are equally not happy that our Brave Warriors cannot play in Namibia, but once we do it, we have to do it right. CAF compliance is what the challenge is,” he said.
He stressed that the issue is not a lack of infrastructure, but rather meeting strict international requirements.
“For anyone saying we don’t have stadiums in Namibia, that is not accurate. But CAF compliance is what we need to do now to bring the national teams back to Namibia,” he said.
Ballotti further clarified the ministry’s efforts in assisting with the renovation of Sam Nujoma Stadium. He noted that although the asset falls under the City of Windhoek, the ministry has committed funds through the Namibia Football Association to assist in upgrading the stadium.
CAF has decommissioned the Sam Nujoma and Independence Stadiums for failing to meet required standards. As a result, Namibia’s national football teams have not played an international fixture on home soil since 2021.
Currently, the Brave Warriors and Gladiators host their international home games in neighbouring countries without the backing of home support. It is not known how much the Namibia Football Association pays in rental fees for hosting matches at these stadiums.
