BONA 2027 Bid in Full Swing
Botswana and Namibia haved upped the ante in their bid to bring the Confederations of African Football (CAF) finals competition to local shores in 2027. Dubbed as BONA 2027, the joint bid has been undergoing an audit of their facilities by Ruben Ready Architects from South Africa.
The auditors have met with stakeholders in both countries as they prepare the bid book to deliver to CAF as per MOA. The tournament is scheduled to have its opening game in Windhoek and the final in Gaborone. Bid Committee (Bidco) Chairperson, Ashford Mamelodi addressed members of the media at a press conference in Gaborone this week, where he briefed them on the current facilities audit exercise conducted in Botswana and Namibia towards the two nations' joint bid for the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 tournament.
This press conference is the third since the joint two-country undertaking. The facilities audit is being undertaken by Rueben Reddy Architects (RRA) for both Botswana and Namibia. The audit started on January 30, 2023, and the cities and towns included in the audit were Gaborone, Lobatse, Francistown, and Maun, including all airports. Audit data capture for Botswana was successfully concluded in Kasane on February 13, 2023.
Planning meetings for the audit were held in Windhoek, where Bidco officials paid courtesy calls on the Namibia Football Association chairman, Bisey Uirab, and the minister at the Ministry of Youth Sport and National Service, Agnes Tjongarero.
The RRA team arrived in Windhoek and audited the Hosea Kutaku International Airport on arrival. They also audited Andima Toivo ya Toivo Airport in Ondangwa and Walvis Boy Airport before moving on to Windhoek, where they audited the facilities and overnighted. The RRA top brass, including Ruben Reddy himself, are expected to land in Windhoek this Thursday, to meet Ministry officials and other sport officials.
They will then undertake a series of consultations with several organizations before concluding their audit. The appointment of the lead consultant for the BoNa Bid Book is in progress, with an announcement expected to precede the submission of the facilities audit report. The facilities audit report will be in three volumes, with delivery expected in mid-March 2023 and the bid book not later than the end of May 2023.
The bid promotion is planning to partner with the FUB for a grassroots programme or similar in all political constituencies, including local authorities such as MPs, Dikgosi, Councilors, and others who will all be expected to sign a declaration of support for BoNa 2027.
The campaign will also include a once off home and away encounter between Zebras and Brave Warriors. The committee also requested to host the CAF Executive Committee meeting, possibly in Kasane, and if successful, Bidco will cover the entire costs.