Guinea’s military junta has promised to release funds and expedite access to land for the country’s hosting of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The announcement came late Monday, on the eve of the Confederation of African Football (CAF)’s two-day mission to monitor Guinea’s progress toward hosting the big event.
A decree by junta chief Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, read on state TV, declared the event an issue of “national and priority interest.”
All spending for organisational needs “will be processed as a matter of urgency,” it said.
It also stated that land required for the tournament will be classified as public interest, and any property transactions or work unrelated to the competition will be prohibited on these sites.
Hosting Africa’s largest sporting event presents a significant challenge for the impoverished country, which lacks sporting infrastructure and transportation.
Guinea was supposed to host the competition in 2023, but the date was pushed back by two years when the list of organizing nations was reshuffled in 2018.
Ivory Coast will host the event in 2023.
Doumbouya led the September coup that deposed the country’s elected president, Alpha Conde.
The coup has strained relations with the influential West African bloc ECOWAS, which has been pushing for a return to civilian rule as soon as possible.
The junta, on the other hand, has stated that the country will honor its commitment to host the 2025 World Cup.
Doumbouya formed a new organizing committee in March after one of its members publicly questioned the scheme’s viability.
