It was built by the Cameroonian government in 1970 to host the 1972 African Cup of Nations. But it could be used as early as 1971 during the friendly match Togo-Cameroon and the victory of the latter 1 to 0. The stadium is very busy given its use by seven clubs of Douala. The record attendance is 32,000 people during a match between Les Astres FC and Bamboutos FC.
In 2018, a renovation project was launched with a Canadian construction firm Magil Construction Corporation; it includes a partial covering of the stands as well as an expansion to more than 39,000 seats in preparation for hosting the 2022 CAN.