Mangochi Stadium officially opened

Newly constructed multi-million kwacha Mangochi stadium has been officially launched meaning the facilities could be ready to host matches, mostly for regional football leagues.

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Kondwani Nankhumwa officially opened the Mangochi Stadium on Saturday following completion of construction works at the site.

Nankhumwa said  it was government’s wish to see councils maximizing revenue collection for their smooth operations.

The Minister appealed to people to jealously guard the facility and to avoid vandalism of any kind.

With another stadium yet to be officially opened in Zomba, he observed that the Eastern Region would soon be leading with more stadiums than the other regions.

Already, Karonga, Rumphi, Kasungu and Mulanje have newly constructed stadiums under the Local Development Fund (LDF) and some of these stadiums are scheduled to open shortly, according to Nankhumwa.

The Mangochi Stadium pegged at K407 million was funded by the German Government with Mangochi Town Council contributing K14.1 million, representing 3.5 percent, according to LDF Executive Director, Charles Mandala.

He said government will continue with the initiative of constructing stadia across the country.

“This is a very lucrative programme for local authorities and as we speak now, Mulanje Stadium is generating a lot of revenue,” Mandala explained, adding that they are training stadium committees to manage the facilities.

He said the stadiaare meant to improve sports at grassroots level and help the council use sports to generate revenue.

Parliamentarian for Mangochi Central, Dr. Clement Chiwaya hailed government for the stadium adding that as a tourist destination, the district needed such facilities including a 5-Star hotel.

He  believes that the stadium will attract top Super League teams.