The Nationwide Sports activities Fee (NSC), in partnership with World Athletics and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), is about to host the first-ever Africa Working Convention in Lagos, marking a serious milestone for sports activities improvement on the continent.
The occasion, which goals to advertise well being, health, and athletic excellence, may also highlight Nigeria’s rising position within the international sports activities ecosystem.
Talking at a press briefing in Abuja, NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko mentioned the convention aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s imaginative and prescient to rework sports activities right into a driver of nationwide financial progress.
“This convention is not only about operating,” Dikko mentioned. “It displays our dedication to constructing a thriving sports activities financial system — one which creates jobs, attracts funding, and enhances Nigeria’s international status.”
Dikko highlighted highway operating as a singular alternative for Nigeria, noting that curiosity has surged nationwide. “Each state now needs to be concerned,” he mentioned. “That exhibits the potential for lasting influence.”
NSC Director Basic Bukola Olopade praised the partnership with World Athletics, calling the occasion “a milestone second” for Nigerian sports activities. “This proves that the Tinubu administration’s sports activities reforms are working. We’re transferring from being a consumption-based sports activities nation to at least one that produces and hosts world-class occasions,” he mentioned.
Olopade added that the choice by World Athletics to decide on Lagos over international locations with historic marathons akin to Kenya and South Africa displays confidence in Nigeria’s ongoing reforms and capability to ship.
World Athletics’ Head of Working and Mass Participation, Alessio Punzi, described the convention as “a turning level for African highway operating,” noting that it’ll function technical workshops for athletics federations throughout the continent.
He mentioned the Lagos convention is “about constructing a full ecosystem — from grassroots participation to elite efficiency.”
The Africa Working Convention, the primary of its form, will function a platform for collaboration between governments, the non-public sector, and the sporting group, reinforcing Nigeria’s place as a frontrunner in selling well being, wellness, and sporting excellence throughout Africa.
