Solid waste management is one of the major concerns of the Organising Committee of the African Cup of Nations (Cocan), just a few days before the kick-off of the African Cup of Nations (CAN) on 13 January 2024 in Ivory Coast. In order to meet this challenge until February 11, the closing date of the continent’s biggest sporting event, Cocan has called on the expertise of the Agence nationale des déchets (Anaged), which will ensure the cleanliness of sports and non-sports infrastructures. The partnership agreement was signed on 5 January 2024 by Cocan Chairman François Albert Amichia and Sarrahn Outarra, Director of the West African country’s public solid waste management company.
In concrete terms, Anaged will ensure cleanliness within the perimeter of sports and non-sports facilities, selective pre-collection, collection and transportation of solid waste during and after each match day, and transportation of residues to dedicated treatment facilities. For the record, six stadiums, located in five cities, have been selected to host the 52 matches that will be played during the “CAN2023”.
The first stadium to be used from 13 January 2024 is the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan, also known as the Ebimpé Stadium. Inaugurated in October 2020 with a capacity of 60,000, it will host the opening match between the host country and Guinea-Bissau.
The other stadiums are the Stade de Bouaké or Stade de la Paix (inaugurated in 1984 with a capacity of 40,000), the Stade Felix Houphouet Boigny in Abidjan (inaugurated in 1964), the Stade Amadou Gon Coulibaly in Korhogo (inaugurated in November 2023 with a capacity of 20,000), the Charles Konan Banny stadium in Yamoussoukro (inaugurated in June 2022 with a capacity of 20,000), and last but not least, the Laurent Pokou stadium in San Pedro (named after the late Ivorian top scorer), which has been operational since September 2023 and has a capacity of 20,000.
Raising eco-awareness among fans and tourists
In addition to the football professionals expected to attend the 34th edition of the CAN, the major sporting event is expected to attract more than 2 million international visitors to the five host cities. In addition to the sporting infrastructure, the cities of Abidjan, Yamoussoukro, Bouaké, Korhogo and San-Pédro will be busy with hotels, restaurants, leisure facilities and biodiversity sites, all of which will be producing ever-increasing amounts of waste.
Under the terms of the contract signed with Cocan, Anaged will also be responsible for keeping these areas clean, which – and this is the good news – is generally a source of positive externalities, such as entertainment, social cohesion and the creation of economic activity. In addition to collecting, sorting and transporting waste, the public company also plans to raise awareness among fans and tourists of eco-gestures (small everyday actions that contribute to respect for the environment, editor’s note) during the 29 days of CAN 2023 in Ivory Coast.
Inès Magoum