Turkish Ambassador Hails Hoima Stadium as Landmark of Bilateral Ties

Hoima City – Turkish Ambassador to Uganda, H.E Mehmet Fatih, has described the stadium as a symbol of ambition, partnership, and shared belief in the future.

He was speaking on Wednesday during the commissioning of Hoiam City Stadium, which was constructed by a Turkish firm, SUMMA International Construction Company Inc.

“This stadium is more than steel and concrete. It reflects the strength of Turkish-Ugandan relations and the professionalism of Turkish construction companies,” he said.

He revealed that thousands of Ugandans were employed during construction, working alongside Turkish engineers in a process that ensured skills and technology transfer.

Summa Construction Chairman, Mr Selim Bora, said the stadium’s completion in 12 months was achieved through disciplined planning and extraordinary commitment, despite over 150 days of heavy rainfall during construction.

“More than 2,500 people worked on this project, 80 percent of them Ugandans. This is not just infrastructure — it is capacity building and human capital development,” Mr Bora said.

State Minister for Sports, Hon. Peter Ogwan,g described Hoima City Stadium as one of the best-executed government projects in recent years.

He traced the project’s origins to early 2023, when President Museveni introduced Summa to the Ministry of Education and Sports to plan phased sports infrastructure development, initially focusing on Lugogo Sports Complex.

“However, when CAF announced in September 2023 that Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania had won the AFCON hosting rights, priorities shifted, and Hoima City Stadium became the starting point,” Hon. Ogwang said.

He noted that public feedback on the project had been overwhelmingly positive, attributing this to transparency and regular public access to the construction site.

Among the dignitaries present were the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa, Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja, Cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament, cultural leaders, and thousands of football enthusiasts from across the country.