The Confederation of Africa Football CAF has reassured that it remains committed to improve the practice of women’s football on the continent and especially to professionalise it.

The President of the CAF Women’s Football Organising Committee, Kanizat Ibrahim disclosed this when he meet with coaches and captain of the participating teams at the WAFCON 2022.

Speaking on the sidelines of WAFCON 2022, CAF on Wednesday in a meeting  organised in Rabat with some of the coaches and captains of the countries participating in the competition in Group A and Group C, Ibrahim said the meeting was to hear from the teams.

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“Today, CAF’s mission is to improve the practice of women’s football on the continent and especially to professionalise it.

“I am counting on you enormously. Feel free  to express and share all your needs to advance our football,” Ibrahim said in a refreshing address to the coaches and players present.

Outlining the several steps  already  taken and achieved by CAF, Meskerem Goshime Tadesse , Senior Manager of Women’s Football Development at CAF, said despite the achievement, more needed to be done.

Since 2018, we have put in place a strategy for women’s football and its development.

“Training for coaches, zone trainers, women’s football in schools, the increase of teams participating at WAFCON, the creation of a women’s Champions League and the creation of permanent competitions.

“We proposed and then imposed contracts and licenses for the players.

” For a better level, coaches must have a B License, while at the beginning it was the C License. 

“Despite how far we have come in this direction for the development of women’s football in our continent, much remains to be done,” said Groshime.

She said the meeting with the captains and coaches today was a continuation of the interviews carried out by CAF directly with players and coaches, to get their buy in and input on the development of football on the continent. 

Groshime, Raul Chipenda, Director of Development, Senior Manager of Women’s Football Development,  Mercy Tagoe, and Clementine Touré of the CAF Technical Study Group, each had a “one-on-one” session with representatives of the teams present.

Each coach and player was encouraged to freely reflect on their career and their personal experiences and to give their frank opinion on the status of women’s football on the continent. 

The sessions revealed that the speed of its development is not the same everywhere in Africa and that much still needed to be done to professionalise and develop the game across the continent.

The constructive session provided CAF with invaluable feedback and input, as it continues to develop the best strategies to develop and enhance women’s football on the continent.

The novel meeting was attended by Nigeria coach Randy Waldrum and his captain Onome Ebi, South Africa coach Desiree Ellis and veteran defender Janine Van Wyk, Burundi coach Gustave Niyonkuru and one of his best players Saffira Guinand, Uganda coach George Lutalo and goalkeeper Ruth Aturo, as well as Botswana national team boss Gaolethloo Nkutwisang and captain Bonan Otlhagile.