Kenya’s President William Ruto formally presented the country’s joint bid with its East African neighbors Uganda and Tanzania to host the 2027 African Cup of Nations (CAN) finals in Nairobi.
Ruto stressed that the joint bid, called “Pamoja” – the Swahili word for “together” – is part of the government’s plan to harness skills and talents in sport.
“We also intend to launch a compelling bid that wins us this crucial opportunity to make Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania epicenters of the regional and continental football renaissance,” the president said in a speech.
Ruto said his Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Sports and the Arts had been instructed to liaise with counterparts in Uganda and Tanzania to formulate “a winning bid, so that the people of our three countries can hope to participate successfully in the 2027 tournament.”
The president said he was confident East Africa could finally host the biennial continental tournament for the first time, despite competition from offers from previous hosts Algeria and Egypt, and Botswana.
Namibia, which had initially agreed to submit a joint bid with Botswana, withdrew from the race in February, citing a lack of financial resources to host the tournament, held the previous year in Cameroon.
Ruto also pledged infrastructure development, greater monetization of sporting talent and the restoration of Kenyan football as key interventions his administration plans to implement to bolster the bid.
Pamoja’s candidacy will be presented to the Confederation of African Football on Wednesday.
Kenya was granted and then stripped of the rights to host the 1996 AFCON and 2021 African Nations Final.
CAN’s requirements for each country hosting matches are that venues be close to an airport, a level five hospital and a five-star hotel; Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania is the only facility approved to host continental matches in the region. [Da Redazione InfoAfrica]
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