Malawi, China sign Bingu National Stadium maintenance pact
Malawi and Chinese governments Thursday signed an agreement which will see the Chinese Government helping Malawi properly operate and maintain Bingu National Stadium.
The technical cooperation is expected to last three years.
A 40,000-seater Bingu National Stadium was constructed using concessional loan from China with a total investment of about $67 million.
Chinese Ambassador to Malawi, Shi-Ting Wang, who exchanged notes for the project with the Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Goodall Gondwe, in Lilongwe, said some seven experts from China will be dispatched to provide technical service on operation and maintenance.
“Training courses for Malawian technical staff and necessary spare parts will also be provided,” Shi-Ting said.
While saying the stadium has changed the face of Lilongwe, Gondwe said Malawi has received the technical support with the usual appreciation.
“More especially considering that you are promising to train our people in maintaining the structure. That will be good for us as it will enable our own people to have necessary skills for future use,” Gondwe said.
On the reports that some people vandalised and stole some items at the stadium when two football clubs of Nyasa Big Bullets and Beforward Wanderers played in a bonanza some weeks ago, Shi-Ting said it is the responsibility of every Malawian to take care of the facility.
China has pumped in $1.6 million which is about $1.17 billion technical cooperation on the stadium.
The other project for the exchanging of notes between Gondwe and Shi- Ting also involved the donation of office equipment valued at $690,000 to Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism.
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