Over two million visitors are expected during the tournament. But here's the question that will determine success: what happens on July 19, 2027—the day after the final whistle?
Picture this: It's 2032. You're driving past a massive, gleaming stadium built for Afcon 2027. The gates are padlocked. The grass is overgrown.
The only activity is a few goats grazing in what was once the VIP parking lot. This isn't a hypothetical—it's what happened to Gabon's $500 million Afcon 2017 stadiums, now sitting largely abandoned.
Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda are betting $587 million on stadium infrastructure that this time will be different. After facilitating over $300 million in capital deployment across African markets, I can tell you the real test isn't hosting 24 teams for six weeks—it's whether these facilities generate revenue for twenty years afterward.
Kenya is building the 60,000-seat Talanta Stadium at $344.5 million—potentially $500 million with financing costs over 15 years, creating monthly debt service of approximately $33 million.
Tanzania is constructing the 30,000-capacity Samia Suluhu Hassan Stadium in Arusha for $112 million. Uganda is developing the 20,000-seat Hoima National Stadium at $131 million.
Over two million visitors are expected during the tournament. But here's the question that will determine success: what happens on July 19, 2027—the day after the final whistle?
From structuring deals across African markets, I've learned that bankable infrastructure projects answer three critical questions before construction begins:
1. Who's paying to use this after the tournament? Benjamin Mkapa Stadium needs pre-sold multi-year contracts with Tanzania's Premier League, regional tournaments, concerts, and business conferences. Without contracted revenue streams covering operations and debt service, these facilities become budget black holes.
2. Who bears the risk if things go wrong? Kenya's $500-million bond financing creates real fiscal pressure if stadium utilization disappoints. In cross-border transactions I've facilitated, deals collapse when governments retain risks they cannot hedge while operators assume risks they cannot price.
3. Are we building local capacity or just importing it? When South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup, projects with significant local content generated higher employment and lower operating costs. Tanzania employs 1.2 million in construction—Afcon should multiply that capacity, not bypass it.
In truth, the revenue opportunity is real because the demand exists. Tanzania's tourism generated $4 billion in 2024 from 2.14 million visitors. Uganda's tourism earned $1.28 billion, a 25.9 percent increase from 2023.
The MICE sector is growing—Uganda's business and conference visitors rose from five percent to eight percent of arrivals between 2022 and 2023, with Kampala achieving 68.3 percent hotel occupancy.
The diaspora opportunity is equally tangible. Kenya received $4.8 billion in remittances during 2024, Uganda $1.49 billion, Tanzania $757 million. Nearly $7 billion flows home annually—yet we've never systematically targeted diaspora tourism. Afcon should launch a decade-long strategy converting remittances into sustained tourism spend.
On the side of fund managers, they are asking one question: Can East Africa execute complex infrastructure programs on time, on budget, with credible post-event utilization? The answer determines whether we're viewed as Tier One investment destinations or remain aspirational markets.
What investors need: transparent procurement timelines, standardized PPP frameworks across all three countries, independent quarterly monitoring, and pre-negotiated international arbitration.
These aren't bureaucratic boxes to check—they're the difference between attracting productive capital versus recycling limited concessional financing.
Afcon 2027 is our best opportunity in a generation to demonstrate we can deliver world-class infrastructure that serves citizens long after the cameras leave. Get it right, and we unlock a decade of institutional investment. Get it wrong, and we build monuments to missed opportunity.
Having structured transactions across Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, and Zambia worth hundreds of millions, I know the capital exists, the demand exists, and the talent exists. What's being tested is our willingness to execute with discipline.
The teams winning Afcon will lift a trophy on July 18, 2027. The real winners will be countries that turn six weeks of football into twenty years of economic infrastructure.
Here's what you should watch: Are stadium contracts being published with clear post-tournament revenue models? Are PPP frameworks being standardized across borders, or is each country negotiating separately? Is local content being mandated, or quietly waived? These answers will tell you whether we're serious about sustainable infrastructure—or just building expensive photo opportunities.
The decisions being made in boardrooms and government offices right now will determine whether our children inherit productive assets or fiscal liabilities. The clock is ticking, and the world is watching.
Amne Suedi is Managing Director of Shikana Investment and Advisory, Honorary Consul of Switzerland to Tanzania, and Chair of the Switzerland-Tanzania Chamber of Commerce. You can contact her at [email protected]
