AFCON journey must not be washed away

DAR ES SALAAM: THERE is a simple truth about hosting a major football tournament: you do not host AFCON inside a stadium alone. You host it in an entire city.

The stadium may be the centrepiece, but the roads leading to it, bridges crossing rivers, drainage systems protecting neighbourhoods and transport networks moving thousands of supporters are equally part of the football experience.

That is why the latest warning from the Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA) deserves serious attention.

With Tanzania preparing to host matches in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), TARURA has cautioned contractors working on roads serving the AFCON stadium in Arusha to take early measures against the possible impact of El Niño rains expected from October 2026.

TARURA Advisory Board Chairman Florian Kabaka issued the warning after inspecting roads connecting different areas around the AFCON Stadium in Arusha, where the project is now more than 60 per cent complete.

His message was simple: use the remaining dry season wisely.

Contractors have been urged to accelerate works that must be completed before the rains arrive, particularly earthworks and bridge construction, while protecting completed and ongoing works from possible damage.

This is exactly the kind of preparation Tanzania needs as it moves closer to the continental football spotlight.

Football supporters will not care about the technical reasons behind a delayed road project. They will not care whether a contractor, consultant, heavy rain, or poor drainage caused the problem.

They will remember whether they reached the stadium on time, whether buses moved smoothly, whether roads were muddy, flooded or damaged and, most importantly, whether Tanzania looked prepared.

That is the real significance of TARURA’s warning. For a supporter, the AFCON experience begins long before entering the stadium.

The journey from a hotel, airport, bus station or residential area to the venue is part of the tournament.

If that journey is smooth, the tournament feels organised but if it is chaotic, the logistical problems become part of the tournament story.

Arusha will be under particular scrutiny because of its international profile as a tourism and conference destination.

Visitors arriving for football will also be visitors to Tanzania. The country, therefore, has an opportunity to present itself not only as a football-loving nation, but also as a destination capable of hosting major international events efficiently.

That opportunity should not be undermined by infrastructure problems that could have been anticipated.

The timing of TARURA’s warning is crucial. The agency wants contractors to take advantage of the remaining dry period to complete works that may become difficult once heavy rains begin.

Nobody is capable of controlling the weather, but authorities and contractors are capable of controlling how they prepare for it.

They have the capacity to improve drainage, protect completed works, plan construction activities carefully, identify vulnerable areas and prepare emergency responses.

TARURA Chief Executive Officer Victor Seff has instructed the supervising consultant, Afrisa Consulting Ltd, to strengthen supervision and ensure that works that can be completed before the rainy season are finished.

The contractor, China Railway Construction Engineering Group, has also been ordered to reassess its preparedness for the expected El Niño rains and submit a report detailing measures to protect the project, particularly from October.

That report should not become another piece of paperwork gathering dust in an office. It should be a practical checklist for action and there should be no room for complacency.

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The encouraging news is that the road project is progressing well and is already more than 60 per cent complete. But that figure should inspire urgency, not complacency.

There is still significant work to be done and every remaining week of the dry season is valuable. The objective should not simply be to finish before AFCON.

The objective should be to finish properly, safely and sustainably. There is little value in rushing to complete roads only for poor workmanship, inadequate drainage or heavy rain to create fresh problems when supporters begin arriving. AFCON belongs to the supporters.

They fill the stadiums, create the atmosphere, wear the colours and turn matches into a continental celebration. TARURA’s warning should, therefore, be treated as a wakeup call.

The authorities have identified the risk early. The project is already well advanced. The dry season still offers an opportunity to accelerate critical works. Contractors must act. Consultants must supervise.

TARURA must monitor. And all stakeholders must maintain pressure until the job is done. Before the rain comes, Tanzania must ensure that the road to AFCON is as ready as the road to the final.

Because when Africa comes to Tanzania for football, the journey to the stadium is part of the match-day experience and that journey must not be washed away