From civil war Ivory Coast become kontri wey dey spend $1bn on Afcon

As Ivory Coast dey host di 2023 Africa Cup of Nations e go make di kontri recovery more more from im civil war wey bin end for 2011, di Ivory Coast goment dey hope.

By im own word, di goment don invest at least $1 billion on hosting di tournament, wey go start on 13 January, afta dem build four new stadiums even as dem dey renovate two odas.

In addition, dem don construct and airports, roads, hospitals and hotels for di five cities wey go stage matches; Abidjan, Bouake, Korhogo, San Pedro and di capital Yamoussoukro.

For dis West African kontri biggest rebuilding exercise since di civil wars of 2002-2007 and 2010-11, most of di money wey dem dey na from one $3.5bn loan wey dem collect from International Monetary Fund (IMF) last April.

Yet wit Ivory Coast position as di world number 138 richest kontris out of 190 by di IMF, dis na concern for some - even though Ivory Coast don experience average growth of 8% per annum since President Alassane Ouattara, former IMF employee, enta office for 2010.

"Ivory Coast na poor kontri," Prao Yao Seraphin, one Ivory Coast economics professor, tell BBC Sport Africa.

"As a result, President Ouattara take loans to finance dis project, so we gatz make sure di loans actually benefit Ivory Coast. Di kontri have to maintain di infrastructure."

"If we no careful and no tink about creating events to boost revenues from our stadiums, I fear say di kontri of di elephants go produce white elephants."

Di term 'white elephants' - come from one old Thai custom of giving animals wey dey expensive-to-keep to di king - dem dey usually apply am regularly to costly infrastructure projects wey di money to take maintain am expensive pass wetin dem suppose use am for.

So, Ivory Coast, wey be home of one of Africa largest population of elephants and wey take im name from dia tusks, go suffer like dis?

Not be so - di kontri politicians tok.

Buildings for di future

Afta dem don spend over $1bn – wit some tori pipo dey report say na double dis amount dem spend - most investors fit hope for financial return but Francois Amichia, wey run di 2023 Nations Cup organising committee, says dis no ever be di plan.

"Wen Ivory Coast decide to organise dis Nations Cup, e bin no be to make money but to reposition itself," Amichia, di current Ivory Coast MP and former sports minister, tok for December.

"E bin be opportunity to provide sports infrastructure - and I must remind you no sports infrastructure bin dey di kontri for years – wit di Nations Cup allowing us to get four new and two refurbished stadiums in one go."

Dem don spend $79m, $84m and $113m on building new stadiums for Yamoussoukro, Korhogo and Abidjan, namely Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium, while di refurbishment wey dem do for Abidjan Felix Houphouet-Boigny venue cost anoda $109m.

Hospitals for Korhogo and San Pedro also enjoy upgrade, including di airports for di two cities - and Bouake own too – even di highways from Abidjan – di two dey west to coastal San Pedro, and north to Korhogo – dem modify dem (among other road improvements for oda places).

"Organising di competition don allow us improve transport links," Amichia add.

"We sabi say Ivory Coast go through difficult time, wey bin no easy for di economy. But dis Nations Cup don allow Ivory Coast to equip imsef wit sporting and non-sporting infrastructure wey developing kontri deserve."

Making use of facilities

Meanwhile, di Ivory Coast football federation (FIF) don dey plan how to solve di worry wey pipo like Professor Seraphin get over di future of di expensive new stadiums.

Already dem don host di Women African Champions League for November (for Bouake and San Pedro), and now dem wan become regional hosting centre - particularly for di kontris wey di national stadium no fit host internationals sake of safety grounds.

Morocco bin be di popular destination afta dis kontris use dia stadium 27 times for 'home' games for both 2023 Nations Cup and 2026 World Cup qualifying – but now Ivory Coast want some of di action too.

"We go make sure say our kontri become di hub of West Africa in terms of football and sports competitions," FIF president Idriss Diallo tok as im bin dey point di athletics tracks for some stadiums.

"Dis go also give space to all di kontris wey no get di kain infrastructure wey dey Confederation of African Football and Fifa approved."

Although dem never get approval, some pipo for goment don make one presentation for dem to open di stadium for pipo.

Dem argue say population wey dey healthier go reduce load for di goment wey bin introduce universal health coverage for 2019.

President Ouattara dey try make sure say di regions wey no dey stage Nations Cup games go also get decent sporting infrastructure, while one joint project wit France dey create 10 mini-sporting complexes across Ivory Coast.

'Great opportunity' for business

Since di end of di civil war wey displace more dan one million pipo, Ivory Coast don grow financially.

Dis na thanks to some goment investments and also sake of im strong performance of di two main exports – coffee and cocoa (Ivory Coast na di world largest exporter) – di kontri economy dey ready to become di second biggest for West Africa.

For 2013, di GDPs of Ivory Coast and Ghana bin be $43bn and $63bn respectively wherease IMF 2022 figures show say di gap don close, as di two kontris dey now declare GDPs of $70bn and $73bn (oil-rich Nigeria GDP na $477bn.)

For di economic capital Abidjan, Akouba Angola restaurant show di recent growth for Ivory Coast.

Angola – wey do MBA for United States – bin dey oversea throughout di civil wars and im return for 2017.

"I bin tink say time don reach to come back becos peace don dey di kontri and everytin dey go well," she tell BBC Sport Africa. "Ten years ago, to open business for be risk."

Though she dey confident of success, she still say she surprise unto how tins dey go – she open five restaurants since 2021 and now she dey hope say di Nations Cup follow jinja di kontri economy.

"Di Nations Cup na very great opportunity for business, becos many pipo wey dey come from oversea go discover wetin wey dey do for Ivory Coast," she tok.

"For example, I wan open many franchises across Africa."

Abidjan account for roughly 80% of di kontri economic product and, wit di Nations Cup wey dem dey host for di konri, di hope be say San Pedro for south, Yamoussoukro and Bouake for di centre and Korhogo for north go begin close di gap.

"Evribody eye go torchlight Korhogo, San Pedro, Bouake and Yamoussoukro and dis fit boost business," Professor Seraphin of Bouake Alassane Ouattara University, wey believe say di Nations Cup benefits go be from short to long term.

"Di first short-term advantage go be di attractiveness of Ivory Coast to private investors, since di cameras go dey on us," im explain.

"Plenty business go also dey for traders, hotels go create work as wey dey welcome all visitors and tourism – wey represent around 9% of our GDP – go dey boosted."

Longer term, Seraphin believe say di improved stadiums go gvive Ivory Coast pipo #"new enthusiasm" to attend games, especially wit new facilities like restaurants and selling tins.

"So Korhogo, Bouake, Yamoussoukro and San Pedro go benefit from dis stadiums as well as di improved hospitals and health facilities - and di kontri go benefit from all dis plenty renovations to boost long-term growth."

As di 2016 terror attack wey bin kill 16 pipo for di beach resort of Grand Bassam, about 40km (25 miles) from Abidjan, still fresh for pipo minds, Seraphin believe say wit di correct security wey go dey ground di matches go happun without complications.

Additional report by Ian Williams.



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