The Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, Dr Ismaila Ceesay, has announced that the Ministry of Youth and Sports has secured a large parcel of land in Lamin for the construction of a new national stadium.

“I am aware that the Ministry of Youth and Sports was allocated a huge chunk of land in Lamin last week. The allocation is complete, and the plan is to build a new stadium,” Dr Ceesay revealed during his weekly appearance on Coffee Time with Peter Gomez on West Coast Radio.

He added, “When it comes to infrastructure, the government is doing well to lay the foundation.”

The development comes at a critical time, as The Gambia’s only existing national stadium in Bakau remains banned from hosting international matches.

The 20,000-seat stadium, built in the 1980s, has undergone substantial renovations in recent years, including upgrades to the pitch, stands, dugouts, scoreboard, and dressing rooms, all aimed at meeting CAF (Confederation of African Football) standards.

However, CAF has repeatedly declined requests from the Gambia Football Federation to lift the ban. A CAF inspection team last year concluded that the stadium still failed to meet several key requirements necessary for international certification.

The new stadium project in Lamin is seen as a long-term solution to the country’s sports infrastructure challenges and a step towards restoring The Gambia’s ability to host international fixtures on home soil.

By Ebrima KB Sonko