President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday held talks with Confederation of African Football president, Patrice Motsepe, on the sidelines of the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, with discussions centred on cooperation between governments, football institutions and the private sector across Africa.
The meeting also produced a major development for Nigerian football, as Tinubu approved Nigeria’s proposed hosting of the 48th Ordinary General Assembly of CAF and this year’s CAF Awards Ceremony.
The 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly is scheduled to take place in October this year and is expected to attract key football administrators and stakeholders from across the continent.
Tinubu announced the approval after meeting with Motsepe at the summit in Nairobi.
Those present at the meeting included Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Mrs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, Special Adviser to the CAF President, Amaju Melvin Pinnick (OFR), and CAF Acting General Secretary, Samson Adamu.
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CAF confirmed the meeting in a statement shared on its official X handle alongside photographs from the engagement.
It wrote, “CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe and the Nigerian Head of State, His Excellency Bola Tinubu, met today on the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi.
“They discussed several topics, particularly cooperation between the government, football, and the private sector in Nigeria and in Africa.”
The CAF Ordinary General Assembly is one of the most important events on the African football calendar. It brings together presidents of CAF’s 54 Member Associations, representatives of the six zonal unions and senior football officials from different countries.
The CAF Awards ceremony, which Nigeria is also set to host, recognises outstanding performers in African football, including players, coaches, clubs and national teams.
The meeting between Tinubu and Motsepe comes as preparations continue for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Tinubu’s participation at the Africa Forward Summit is part of his broader diplomatic and investment engagements across Africa and Europe. The summit, co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenyan President William Ruto, focuses on energy transition, industrialisation, digital transformation, climate action and investment partnerships between Africa and France.
