African sports ministers reinforce commitment to sport integrity at Inter-regional Ministerial Meeting in Banjul
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BANJUL, January 24, 2025 - The Gambia hosted the crucial Inter-regional African Ministerial Meeting on Tuesday, 21 January 2025, galvanizing joint efforts to strengthen the integrity of sport in Africa.
This important intergovernmental forum, organised in collaboration with UNESCO, was held under the theme: Enhancing Africa’s Sports Governance: Fostering Inter-Regional Cooperation and Convergence for Sport Values, Ethics, and Integrity..jpg)
Matar Ba, Chairperson of the COP Bureau International Convention against Doping in Sport 
Vice President of The Gambia Muhammed Jallow
In his opening speech, Vice President of The Gambia Muhammed Jallow, representing President Adama Barrow, said The Gambia believes in the principle that sports should be clean, fair and competitive to all participants. "Hosting this meeting is a testament to The Gambia’s unwavering stance on promoting clean sports and ensuring fair play across all sporting disciplines," he said.
The Gambia’s Minister of Sports, Bakary Badjie said: "The strategies and actions agreed upon will lay the foundation for strengthened sports governance. These steps will serve as a crucial entry point to address the challenges young people face across the continent, including drug use and irregular migration. By promoting collective effort and enhancing inter-regional cooperation, we aim to leave a lasting positive impact on African sports."
AIPS Africa President Abdoulaye Thiam and Secretary General Musa Sise were among the delegates at the meeting in Banjul.
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The meeting acknowledged that upcoming major sporting events in Africa represent unique opportunities for economic development and increased visibility of coordinated action on the integrity of sport.
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At the end of the meeting, the following communique was issued;
We, the African Ministers of Sport, hereby declare:
1. Commit to building on the momentum generated by engagements with UNESCO and other global partners to strengthen the governance and social impact of sport across Africa;
2. Agree to explore ways to establish an African ministerial body for international commitments on sport integrity, as a critical step towards streamlining the collection and analysis of relevant data and harmonizing sport integrity frameworks, strategies and decision-making at the regional level, in line with global standards;
3. Invite all African governments to actively engage in equipping sports governance with the resources, vision and leadership necessary for its international coherence and effectiveness, prioritising youth empowerment and gender inclusion;
4. Reiterate the need to prioritize investment in sport as a strategic pillar to build healthier, more productive, more peaceful and sustainable societies;
5. Encourage continued collaboration with UNESCO Anti-Doping Convention to build on its expertise, data, standards and advocacy frameworks to address sports governance challenges and expand the continent's leadership in the global sports agenda;
6. Strongly encourage the strengthening of Africa's leadership in the field of values, ethics and integrity of sport at the global level, recommending that the tenth session of the Conference of the Parties renew the mandate of COP9 President Matar Bâ for a second term for the biennium 2026-2027.
This important intergovernmental forum, organised in collaboration with UNESCO, was held under the theme: Enhancing Africa’s Sports Governance: Fostering Inter-Regional Cooperation and Convergence for Sport Values, Ethics, and Integrity.
The event brought together the continent's ministers of sports, the Bureau of the ninth session of the Conference of Parties (COP9) to the International Convention against Doping in Sport, representatives of African interregional organizations, as well as experts and key stakeholders.
Former Senegalese Sports Minister Matar Ba, Chairperson of the COP Bureau International Convention against Doping in Sport, said the UNESCO fund, having supported over 250 projects globally and more than 70 in Africa, remains a vital resource for enhancing anti-doping education and strengthening governance frameworks.
In his opening speech, Vice President of The Gambia Muhammed Jallow, representing President Adama Barrow, said The Gambia believes in the principle that sports should be clean, fair and competitive to all participants. "Hosting this meeting is a testament to The Gambia’s unwavering stance on promoting clean sports and ensuring fair play across all sporting disciplines," he said.
The Gambia’s Minister of Sports, Bakary Badjie said: "The strategies and actions agreed upon will lay the foundation for strengthened sports governance. These steps will serve as a crucial entry point to address the challenges young people face across the continent, including drug use and irregular migration. By promoting collective effort and enhancing inter-regional cooperation, we aim to leave a lasting positive impact on African sports."
AIPS Africa President Abdoulaye Thiam and Secretary General Musa Sise were among the delegates at the meeting in Banjul.
The meeting acknowledged that upcoming major sporting events in Africa represent unique opportunities for economic development and increased visibility of coordinated action on the integrity of sport.
At the end of the meeting, the following communique was issued;
We, the African Ministers of Sport, hereby declare:
1. Commit to building on the momentum generated by engagements with UNESCO and other global partners to strengthen the governance and social impact of sport across Africa;
2. Agree to explore ways to establish an African ministerial body for international commitments on sport integrity, as a critical step towards streamlining the collection and analysis of relevant data and harmonizing sport integrity frameworks, strategies and decision-making at the regional level, in line with global standards;
3. Invite all African governments to actively engage in equipping sports governance with the resources, vision and leadership necessary for its international coherence and effectiveness, prioritising youth empowerment and gender inclusion;
4. Reiterate the need to prioritize investment in sport as a strategic pillar to build healthier, more productive, more peaceful and sustainable societies;
5. Encourage continued collaboration with UNESCO Anti-Doping Convention to build on its expertise, data, standards and advocacy frameworks to address sports governance challenges and expand the continent's leadership in the global sports agenda;
6. Strongly encourage the strengthening of Africa's leadership in the field of values, ethics and integrity of sport at the global level, recommending that the tenth session of the Conference of the Parties renew the mandate of COP9 President Matar Bâ for a second term for the biennium 2026-2027.
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