Government officials in Ivory Coast are pleased with the work that has been completed and assert they have taken note of the incidents that occurred during the last tournament in Cameroon, when eight people died in a human stampede at the stadium entrance during a match between the local team and Comoros..

Recently, the Prime Minister, Minister of Sports and the Environment, Robert Beugré Mambé, personally inspected the progress of work at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny stadium in Abidjan and expressed his total satisfaction.

Concerned not only about safety but also about the quality of the pitch, ensuring that it meets international standards and presenting the right image of the country to the world, he said: "CAF came here, and after their observations, corrections were made to the stadium. We know that everything has been corrected. All the companies involved in this project have done the work we expected from them. We can only congratulate them. The visible aspects meet the requirements of the competition."

It will be the second time in history that the West African nation of just over 70 million people has hosted Africa's premier football tournament. It has been 40 years since it hosted the finals in 1984, but in a tournament with a very uneven playing field, with only a third of the 24 teams competing as of 13 January. 

Officials say the six stadiums are ready for this major football event. In addition to the aforementioned stadium, five other venues will be used for the 34th edition of the AFCON: the Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium in Ebimpé, Anyama, the Charles Konan-Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro, the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké, the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo, and the Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro.

This edition has exceeded all expectations in terms of the interest it has generated. A total of 5,000 press accreditations have been requested to cover the event, a 90% increase on the last edition and a clear indication of the interest in this edition in the Ivorian country. 

In terms of economic investment, an estimated $1.5 billion is expected to be spent on improved roads, most notably a complete overhaul of the 350-kilometre coastal road linking the economic capital, Abidjan, to the port city of San Pedro. 

On the security front, the director general of the Ivory Coast police told AFP that measures had been taken at the six stadiums to prevent a similar tragedy, with 1.5 million foreign fans expected to attend. Some 20,000 people, including 17,000 soldiers and police officers and 2,500 stadium staff, will be deployed to contain any unrest and reassure the public.