Confirms host of Afrobasket men and women events …Madagascar’s Jean Michel appointed as Vice President of FIBA Africa

By Maxwell Kumoye The governing body of the game of basketball on the continent, FIBA Africa has given the seven zones under it structure more responsibilities and power as it seeks to reposition the slamming and dunking game on the continent.

FIBA Africa Central Board at its meeting in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire between the 17th and 19th of this month said each of the Zones should take more interest in the various National Federations under their watch.

The meeting which was the first to be attended by the new FIBA Africa Executive Member and President of FIBA Africa Zone 3, Retired Colonel Samuel Ahmedu, charged the Zone Presidents to carry our an audit of all the National Federations facilities under their watch to see which of the can host top class FIBA competitions.

This move is born out of the fact that among the 54 membes of FIBA Africa, some big National Federations like Nigeria cannot boast of world class facilities for major competition.

In the last five years, all major FIBA Africa competitions have been held in just eight National Federations countries like:✓ Angola✓ Cameroon ✓ Cote D’Ivoire ✓ Egypt✓ Mozambique ✓ Rwanda ✓ Senegal ✓ Tunisia It’s instructive to note that all the host for FIBA Africa major competitions until 2027 have been designated.

Your authoritative and award-winning news channel FIRST ZEALMEDIACAST BLOG, understands that FIBA Africa has also confirmed Abidjan the capital of Cote D’Ivoire will host the 2025 Afrobasket Women’s Championship while Luanda, Angola will host the men’s event the same year.

The Women Afrobasket takes place in July and D’Tigress of Nigeria are the defending champions and Afrobasket for men will follow in August.Meanwhile, Mr. Julien Farran has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer of FIBA Africa. He is expected to take over from Mr. Yira Yacouba who is retiring.

In a related development, Mr. Jean Michel of Madagascar, a member of FIBA Central Board and President of FIBA Africa Development Commission has been appointed as Vice President of FIBA Africa.

We gathered that BAL Elite 16 East Division will take place in Nairobi, Kenya from 28th Nov to 3rd December, 2024.

If there is one issue that is giving FIBA Africa sleepless nights is the deadly, damaging and prevalent practice of using overaged players in aged grade competitions like the U-16 and U-18.

To this end, a TASK FORCE will be set up to curtail this ugle trend and the TASK FORCE will not only spell out the punishment for using overaged players in aged grade competitions but will also be presented with a sledge hammer to deal with offenders.

The President of FIBA Africa Zone 3 Retired Colonel Samuel Ahmedu said, “Training for Secretary Generals of National Federations was proposed and approved during the FIBA Africa Central Board Meeting and that National Federations should ensure more organization and participation in 3×3 activities.”

The President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau has been elected as the 1st Vice President of the West African Football Union (WAFU) B zone.

The election took place in Niamey, Niger Republic on Friday, on the margin of this year’s CAF African Schools Football Championship (WAFU B qualifying tournament) taking place in that country.

President of Ghana Football Association, Kurt Edwin-Simeon Okraku, was elected President of the zone, while Oumarou Sawadogo, President of the Burkinabe Football Federation, was elected as the 2nd Vice President.

The WAFU B zone is made up of seven countries, viz Nigeria, Togo, Benin Republic, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Niger Republic and Cote d’Ivoire.

Gusau, who became President of NFF in September 2022, has served in several high-level capacities in African football, including being on the Organizing Committee for the African Nations Championship (CHAN), and serving as a top security officer of both FIFA and CAF.

Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson has shared his predictions for this weekend’s Premier League matches, offering insights into the potential outcomes of key fixtures.

Fans are eager to see how the games unfold as the league continues to deliver intense battles and surprises.

The action kicks off on Saturday with an early match at the King Power Stadium, where Leicester City will host Chelsea.

Lawrenson expects Chelsea to edge out a narrow victory, predicting a 2-1 win for the Blues. Chelsea will aim to continue their upward trajectory, while Leicester will hope to capitalize on home advantage to pull off an upset.

Later that evening, Arsenal will welcome Nottingham Forest to the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners, looking to solidify their title credentials, are predicted to secure a comfortable 2-0 victory.

Mikel Arteta’s men have been in excellent form, and Nottingham Forest will have a tough task trying to stifle their attacking prowess.

Premier League champions Manchester City will face Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium in one of the weekend’s most anticipated matches.

Lawrenson has backed Pep Guardiola’s side to claim a 2-0 win, continuing their strong form at home. Spurs will need to be at their very best to stand a chance against City’s relentless attacking force.

In other Saturday fixtures, Aston Villa is expected to dominate Crystal Palace at Villa Park with a 3-0 victory.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth and Brighton are tipped to share the spoils in a 1-1 draw, as both teams look to maintain their mid-table standings.

Everton and Brentford are also predicted to end their match in a 1-1 stalemate, with both sides struggling for consistency this season.

Fulham is expected to edge out Wolves at Craven Cottage with a 2-1 victory, as Marco Silva’s team aims to climb higher in the league table.

On Sunday, Southampton will host Liverpool at St. Mary’s Stadium. Lawrenson predicts a 3-1 victory for Jurgen Klopp’s Reds, who will be eager to maintain their push for the top spots. Southampton, battling relegation, face a daunting task against a Liverpool side firing on all cylinders.

Manchester United will travel to face Ipswich Town in an away fixture. Lawrenson foresees a 2-1 win for the Red Devils, though Ipswich will aim to cause an upset.

The weekend concludes with Newcastle United hosting West Ham at St. James’ Park. The Magpies are tipped to secure a commanding 3-0 victory, as they continue their impressive form in front of their passionate home fans.

The Premier League weekend promises excitement, drama, and potentially season-defining results as teams battle for crucial points.

The Super Falcons of Nigeria will lock horns with Tunisia, Algeria, and Botswana in Group B at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

The draw, which took place on Friday evening, was held at the Technical Centre of the Mohamed VI Football Complex in Sale, just outside Rabat, Morocco.

The prestigious tournament will see 12 of Africa’s finest women’s football teams battle for supremacy in a three-week final event scheduled to run from July 5 to July 26, 2025. Morocco, the host nation, will welcome the continent’s best players as they strive to lift the coveted trophy.

For the nine-time African champions, Nigeria, the tournament offers another opportunity to demonstrate their dominance in women’s football on the continent.

Placed in Group B, the Super Falcons are no strangers to their North African rivals Algeria and Tunisia, though their encounter with the latter will mark the first competitive meeting between the two teams in WAFCON history.

Nigeria has an encouraging record against Algeria, having recently defeated the Fennecs in a two-legged friendly encounter.

The victories have bolstered the confidence of Randy Waldrum’s squad as they prepare to extend their winning streak against Algeria in Morocco.

Botswana, another Group B opponent, will also be familiar territory for the Super Falcons.

In the last edition of the competition, Nigeria secured a narrow 1-0 victory over the southern African side in their group-stage clash.

However, Botswana will be determined to upset the odds and improve their record against the defending giants.

Tunisia, the second North African team in the group, will pose an interesting challenge for the Super Falcons. Though this will be their first competitive meeting at WAFCON, Tunisia’s steady progress in women’s football in recent years could make them a formidable opponent.

Elsewhere in the tournament, Group A features the host nation Morocco alongside Zambia, Senegal, and DR Congo. Morocco, the 2022 WAFCON runners-up, will be eager to capitalize on home advantage and challenge for the title.

Group C includes South Africa, the defending champions, who will face tough opposition from Ghana, Mali, and Tanzania.

The South Africans are aiming to retain their title after their historic triumph in the 2022 edition.

The 2024 WAFCON promises to deliver thrilling encounters and unforgettable moments as Africa’s elite women footballers converge in Morocco.

Fans of the Super Falcons will hope their team can reclaim the crown and further solidify their reputation as the powerhouse of African women’s football.

The naira appreciated against the dollar in both the official and parallel foreign exchange markets, closing the week on a positive note as FX supply increased.

According to data from FMDQ, the naira strengthened to ₦1652.62 per dollar on Friday, an improvement from ₦1658.57 per dollar recorded on Thursday.

This represents a gain of ₦5.95 in the official market within a single day.In the last 48 hours, the naira has seen a cumulative gain of ₦35 against the dollar, signaling a rebound in the local currency’s performance.

This trend was also evident in the black market, where the naira firmed to ₦1750 per dollar on Friday, improving from ₦1755 per dollar the previous day.

The appreciation in both markets reflects a growing supply of foreign exchange and improved sentiment.

The uptick in FX supply was evident in the rise of transaction turnover in the official market. On Friday, FX transaction turnover increased significantly to $243.05 million, up from the $163.66 million recorded on Thursday.

This 48.5% surge in turnover highlights improved liquidity and market activity, which contributed to the naira’s recovery.

Despite the positive developments in recent days, a week-on-week analysis shows a marginal depreciation of the naira in the official market. Compared to last Friday’s exchange rate of ₦1652.25 per dollar, the naira lost ₦0.35, highlighting some lingering pressure on the local currency.

Nevertheless, the recent gains provide optimism for sustained recovery in the coming weeks.In the broader economic context, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) reported an increase in the country’s external reserves, which rose to $40.277 billion as of November 20, 2024.

This marks a critical development, as higher reserves bolster the CBN’s ability to intervene in the FX market and stabilize the naira.

The naira’s improved performance can be attributed to several factors, including increased FX inflows, a more active interbank market, and efforts by financial authorities to boost dollar supply.

These efforts have eased pressure on the naira, particularly in the parallel market, where speculative activities had previously driven rates higher.

As Nigeria continues to address challenges in its FX market, the recent appreciation offers hope for a more stable exchange rate regime.

Market analysts, however, caution that sustaining this momentum will require consistent policy measures, increased foreign investment inflows, and further improvements in economic fundamentals.

The Chairman of the Committee, set up by Gov. Okpebholo on Monday to recover government vehicles, Mr Kelly Okungbowa, declared that over 200 vehicles were missing on Friday.

He stated that the committee had within 24 hours recovered three vehicles in a private residence in Benin.

Okungbowa, who spoke to newsmen on the success of the committee’s assignment, said within 24 hours three vehicles including one Hilux van and two Toyota Hiace buses have been recovered.

He disclosed that in one of the Toyota Hiace buses, the committee recovered some palliatives which were meant to have been distributed to Edo people.

The chairman added that the palliatives included bags of garri and rice.

He appealed for more information from members of the public, adding that it was the information earlier obtained that led to the recovery of the three vehicles.

Okungbowa assured whistleblowers that a handsome reward awaits them provided their information were correct and verifiable.

“Yesterday, we were inaugurated, we promised to follow the law to carry out the mandate of Mr Governor which is to recover all missing government vehicles in private hands.

” We are glad to inform the people of Edo State that we have recorded success within 24 hours of our inauguration.

”I am glad to announce to you that we have recovered one Hilux and two Toyota Hiace buses in private custody.

“We assure Edo people and the State Government that we are going to do the job to the best of our ability. We will make sure we recover all the stolen vehicles.

“This is not private property but the property of Edo citizens and it is not good for a private individual to steal government property,” he said.

He appealed to former government officials and other citizens holding back government vehicles to return them within 48 hours.