The continental activity of ITTF Flagship talent identification programme brings together promising U12 players from across Africa as part of a pathway that continues to expand across the continent.
Particularly notable among the group is Uganda’s Joseph Sebatindira, the 10-year-old, whose participation alongside teammate Patience Omwero Anyango demonstrates the programme’s success in identifying top-level talent. Players like Sebatindira represent the calibre of young athletes that Continental Hopes programmes are designed to discover and develop across Africa.
A Week of Talent and Learning
With 14 girls and 17 boys taking part, the Lagos gathering creates an intensive environment for both talent identification and skill development. Germany’s Eva Jeler leads the technical programme as ITTF Head Coach, working alongside Tunisia’s Ramzi Mabrouk, ITTF Development Programmes Manager.
The coaching delegation tells its own story of development success, featuring Kenya’s Audrey Oronda, Fungai Tanhara from Zimbabwe, Nancy Nestor from Congo Democratic, and Tunisia’s Aroua Ounais – bothall participants in the “My Gender. My Strength” project. Their presence demonstrates how development programmes create interconnected pathways for coaches and players alike.
As ITTF President Petra Sörling emphasised: “By strengthening foundations at the grassroots level through the Hopes Programme, we’re building the future of table tennis one player at a time.”
A Continent in Motion
The Lagos activity sits within a remarkable year of activity across Africa. Throughout 2024, the continent hosted 51 different development activities spanning 37 countries and territories – from National Development Projects in Zambia and Mali to coaching education programmes in Egypt and Morocco. This represents a significant increase in development opportunities compared to previous years.
The numbers speak to ITTF’s transformative impact: 57.2% male and 42.8% female participation across all activities, with 13 MA Activities and 26 National Projects delivered. ITTF’s online services proved particularly popular, with 170 hours consumed by African associations seeking to strengthen their development capabilities.
Development work extends far beyond talent identification. Para Table Tennis has gained momentum with five dedicated training camps in 2024, supporting 92 athletes and 28 coaches across multiple continents. The “My Gender. My Strength” project attracted applications from 50 Member Associations – a 40% jump from the previous year – with 20 female coaches ultimately participating.
Perhaps most significantly, the Level 3 Coaching Course returned to Africa for the first time in eight years, held in Tunisia with 17 participants from nine Member Associations. This represents a major milestone in building coaching expertise across the continent.
Technical expertise development has also flourished. Competition management workshops in Addis Ababa trained candidates from eight Member Associations, with 18 people from nine countries subsequently earning “Regional Competition Manager in Progress” status through online examinations. Match officiating has shown marked improvement too, with International Umpire examination success rates reaching 58% in 2024.
Looking Ahead
As Africa prepares for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, special projects with Olympic Solidarity are providing additional opportunities for selected players and coaches through enhanced training programmes and international exposure.
The Strategic Quadrennial Agreement signed between ITTF and ITTF-Africa in December 2024 formalises the partnership for 2025-2028. “The objectives outlined in the SQA fully align with the vision and direction of the new Board of ITTF-Africa under my leadership,” commented ITTF-Africa President Wahid Oshodi.
For the young players training in Lagos this week, the pathway continues beyond Africa. The most promising talents will progress to the World Hopes Week & Challenge in Sheffield later this year, where they’ll train alongside peers from across the globe.
The Lagos gathering represents much more than talent identification – it’s evidence of a continent where table tennis development is gaining real momentum, supported by expanding programmes that reach from grassroots activities to elite coaching education.