Sports

Funding delays sports complexcompletion

Treasury’s delay to release part payment for a contractor is delaying the completion of the Griffin Saenda Indoor Sports Complex in Lilongwe, Weekend Nation has learnt.

A source confided in Weekend Nation that despite the Public

Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA) giving the Ministry of Youth and Sports the an approval to complete the Project over six months ago, the contractor China Railway 20 Bureau Group Corporation

Basketball action during the 2022 Region 5 Youth Games that were played before completion of the facility. | Nation

is yet to resume  the works as they are yet to be paid at least K2.6 billion that they asked for as part payment.

Said the source: “The contractor asked for K2.6 billion from what they are owed so that they can pay subcontractors, among others.

“The ministry requested for the funding from Treasury, but up to now, there has been no positive feedback.”

Asked on the delay to fund the completion of the project, Treasury spokesperson Williams Banda said: “Treasury provides funding as per cash flow from MDAs [ministries, departments and agencies].”

Ironically, Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) has earmarked the arena to host the Africa Netball Championship scheduled for December and its president Vitumbiko Gubuduza, in an interview yesterday, confirmed raising the issue during a meeting they had with the ministry in Lilongwe on Thursday.

She said: “The Africa Cup hosting was discussed as well as the Griffin Saenda Indoor Sports Complex project.

“We presented our case on the need to have the Griffin Saenda completed for us to be able to host not just the Africa Netball Cup Competition, but other high-ranking world netball teams.

“The Ministry [assured us that] they are working tirelessly on the completion of the project and we are hopeful it will be completed in time for the Africa Netball Championship.”

The ministry’s spokesperson Macmillan Mwale also confirmed that the issue was indeed discussed.

“NAM explained their desire to host the competition in December and they sought government’s support that includes completing the Griffin Saenda Indoor Complex and installing the wooden floor from World Netball,” he said.

“The Ministry will be waiting for formal communication while it works on completion of the indoor complex.”

The Griffin Saenda Sports Complex and the Aquatic Centre projects have stalled for almost two years now.

The sports complex project stalled because the contract sum changed from the initial K7 billion to about K15 billion after the scope of work changed to accommodate more sports codes such as basketball, volleyball, lawn and table tennis as well as handball while initially, it was  supposed to have only netball.

The other reason, according to the ministry, was because of the 44 percent devaluation of the kwacha in November 2023.

Mwale then said: “As a result, the PPDA asked the Office of the Auditor General to audit the projects before making a determination. As for the Aquatic Centre, there were no issues, but it had to be audited.”

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