By Margaret Kamba
Minister of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture Kirsty Coventry has expressed satisfaction with the participation of the private sector in the sporting industry.
This was revealed during her tour of the Geo Pomona Waste Management Pvt Ltd sporting facilities this Monday.
During the tour, she got an appreciation of the soccer pitch, basketball, and tennis courts, which were recently tested by FIFA before certification.
Speaking after the tour, Minister Coventry said the participation of the private sector showed the confidence that they have in the governing system.
"We need the private players and we are thankful for these private players to be leasing the way and showing that sports play a huge part in our community and our everyday lives and to have these facilities that are open to the public," Minister Coventry said.
"I want to say a big thank you from my Ministry and from Government because we can't do it by ourselves. We need that buy-in from Corporates and the private sector. I am excited that in a space of three or four months, we have seen the private sector really step up and want to come back in sports.
"I would like to believe that, that is also because they have seen good movement and good governance in the structure of sports and Federations moving in the right direction and we will be open to more investments of that kind."
Also speaking during the tour, Geo Pomona Waste Management Pvt Ltd's CEO and Executive Chairman Dilesh Nguwaya said he hope that the facilities would help the National teams up their game.
"Eventually after turning this dumpsite into this kind of pitch, we would want our National team to come and train here to get used to the turf and to make sure that get used to the standards from outside," Nguwaya said.
"So it would be good for our National team to copy what other teams are doing outside."
Geo Pomona Waste Management Pvt Ltd continues with construction work which will witness the setting up of a restaurant, a Waste to Energy plant and a sorting plant.