Arenas construction hits top gear

MINISTER for Culture, Arts, and Sports, Mohamed Mchengerwa said the drawings of the ultra-modern stadium in Dodoma have been completed and the contractor will be handed over to the area in March.

Mchengerwa said this during a parliament session in Dodoma when he was responding to the parliamentarians, after receiving a statement of the Standing Committee of the Parliament on Services and Community Development from the Committee Chairman, Stanslaus Nyongo.

“We offer our congratulations to the Ministry of Finance for providing funds to start the construction of the sports complex and a tender for the construction of a sports complex in Dar es Salaam whose tender has also been announced.

The tender for the construction of the Arts Arena has already been announced while emphasising that the construction of 56 sports schools is going on.

“This Ministry continues to make major reforms and it has started a Street-by-Street Art Campaign that intends to bring out talents from the grassroots level,” he said.

The Ministry, according to  Mchengerwa has continued to make revolutions in its sectors including the process of obtaining the national dress, the national rhythm as well as providing loans to Artists,” he said.

Adding, Mchengerwa said the country’s football status has gone up to the extent that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) graded Tanzania number five in countries with the best leagues in Africa and number 39 in international rankings.

“The Ministry has continued to carry out its duties in a satisfactory manner where he has said that the National Arts Council has succeeded in establishing electronic systems in carrying out its duties, as well as returning the Music Awards.

“We continue to fight to be able to improve the different parts of sports and arts sectors and also in other parts that need renovations. And we will also be able to set up committees that will be bringing information on the trends of the systems that are going on in these sectors,” he said.

Additionally, the Deputy Minister of Culture, Arts and Sports, Pauline Gekul said the government has been giving the sporting right to all groups including people with disabilities.

“One of the government’s strategies in raising sports participation for people with disabilities, especially football, netball, and hoops, includes educating the community on the importance of involving people with disabilities in all events, registering sports associations and clubs for people with disabilities especially organised by the Government.

“Collaborating with sports stakeholders has continued to encourage the construction of sports infrastructure with a friendly environment for the disabled,” she said.

Gekul has asked associations, federations and sports clubs to register people with disabilities and to include them in all their sports events.