YILM, an Ivorian recording artiste, remembers when the country won the rights to host the 2023 African Cup of Nations. "We said, we are going to show them what we are capable of." The tournament, for the country, was to be a statement about Côte d'Ivoire's growth, its culture and its place in Africa.
The Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, one of the country's most historic sporting venues, was to be the centrepiece of the tournament, hosting the grand finale of the competition. The stadium, however, required a major transformation to bring its facilities to international standards.
With funding from the Africa Export-Import Bank, the stadium's renovation was completed in time for the competition and has been transformed into a modern, multi-purpose facility capable of hosting major sporting and cultural events.
For the bank, however, the project fit into a wider strategy to develop the infrastructure needed to unleash Africa's rapidly expanding creative and sports sectors. "The African creative sector is full of talent," notes Jean Arsene Yerima, regional chief operating officer, Francophone West Africa at Afreximbank.
Originally published by African Business.