In Summary:
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In a Facebook post, the aide of former president George Weah claims that the first major upgrade of the SKD Sports Complex since 1986 was done in 2022
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Research and review of past news articles and press releases show that major renovation works had taken place before the 2022 upgrade, including a 2013 refurbishment
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Based on the evidence reviewed, we conclude that Sekou Kalasco’s claim is misleading.
On November 14, former Presidential Aide Sekou Kalasco Damaro claimed in a Facebook post that the renovation conducted by the Weah administration in 2022 marked the “first time the stadium had experienced such modern improvements since its construction in 1986.”
Kalasco made this claim following recent developments involving the completion and commissioning of new floodlights at the SKD stadium by the Joseph N. Boakai administration.
He argued that the current government’s effort to “fix two of the floodlight poles and do small painting” did not merit the level of celebration he observed.
The Claim
Damaro’s exact claim: “In 2022, the Weah administration completed a major upgrade of the SKD, laying artificial turf, installing thousands of bucket seats, and fully renovating the complex’s gym, representing the first time the stadium had experienced such modern improvements since its construction in 1986.
Rating Justification
To verify whether the 2022 renovation represented the first major upgrade to the SKD Sports Complex since its opening in 1986, we conducted an online search and reviewed historical records.
Our probe found an official press release issued on Tuesday, October 8, 2013 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcing that the Government of Liberia and China had signed an US$18 million agreement for a complete overhaul of the SKD Stadium. The agreement was signed by Foreign Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan on behalf of Liberia and Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua on behalf of China.
FrontPage Africa had earlier reported the planned renovation on July 17, 2013, noting the scope and scale of the project.
Additional verification from a May 23, 2017 publication by “A Liberian Olympic Blog” confirmed that the renovation was completed four years after the signing ceremony. The upgrades included expanded VIP seating, a modern lighting system, a digital scoreboard, a new track surface suitable for international competition, and improved restroom facilities. These improvements were substantial and significantly enhanced the stadium long before the 2022 works by the Weah administration.
Conclusion
Based on these findings, we conclude that Sekou Kalasco Damaro’s claim that the renovation carried out by the Weah administration in 2022 was the first major modern upgrade to the SKD Stadium since 1986 is misleading.
In 2013, the Government of Liberia and China signed an US$18 million agreement for a comprehensive redevelopment of the SKD. The resulting renovation, completed in 2017, introduced major upgrades including additional VIP seating, a new lighting system, a digital scoreboard, a professional-grade track, and improved restrooms. These improvements clearly demonstrate that significant modernization occurred years before the 2022 renovation.
