President of the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA), Hamad Kalkaba, has announced that African athletes will soon benefit from international scholarships and enhanced training opportunities, as part of the CAA’s strategic partnerships with global sports institutions.
Kalkaba made the revelation on Sunday during a press conference held at the MKO Abiola Stadium, marking the conclusion of the third African U-18/U-20 Athletics Championships in Abeokuta.
According to him, the CAA is actively collaborating with various sports development organisations, including the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), to offer support to emerging athletic talents across the continent, particularly from under-resourced countries.
“With their support, we are going to provide scholarships for athletes in different African countries and also send some of them to international centres for further training,” he said.
Kalkaba highlighted that the CAA currently operates regional training centres in Nigeria, Kenya, and Senegal, countries known for their athletic prowess, but that expansion plans are already underway.
“In Nigeria, Dakar, and Nairobi, we have functioning centres where athletes are already being trained. But we are going beyond that,” he noted.
He further disclosed that some African athletes are now being sent abroad — to countries such as China, Jamaica, and Cuba, for advanced technical and high-performance development. “We are not just staying in Africa, we are making use of global expertise,” Kalkaba said.
Addressing the federation’s recent digital communication challenges, the CAA President acknowledged concerns over delays in publishing results and website inefficiencies during the championships.
“We had some problems with our website and the publication of results. But this is being fixed,” he assured.
“CAA is going to work more closely with journalists so they can help promote our competitions and our athletes’ successes.”
Looking ahead, Kalkaba confirmed that Ghana and Botswana have been proposed as hosts for the 2026 and 2028 African Senior Championships, respectively, while Algeria has been approved to host the next U-18/U-20 Championships in 2027.
He also revealed that Ethiopia has expressed interest in staging future competitions, and encouraged all African countries to embrace the opportunity to host.
“Any country that wants to host must submit a bid. We encourage this spirit of participation,” he said.
With these developments, the CAA aims to not only deepen talent development but also elevate African athletics through global exposure, structured support, and a renewed commitment to effective communication and collaboration.