The President of FIBA Africa Zone 3, Sam Ahmedu, has restated his commitment to grassroots basketball development across West Africa as the inaugural FIBA Africa Zone 3 Academies Tournament for players under the age of 17 tipped off in Lagos.
The landmark event, which began on 5 July at the indoor facility of the Dolphins Female Basketball Foundation, has drawn participation from 21 academy teams, mostly from Nigeria, due to logistical challenges faced by other countries in the region.
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The tournament, which concludes on 8 July, is designed as a platform for young basketball talents to compete, assess their progress, and grow within a structured setting.
Speaking during a media session, Mr Ahmedu, a retired colonel, explained that the aim of the tournament is to give young players, who typically only train without exposure to real competition, an avenue to evaluate their development.
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“A lot of them just train and train and train and don’t have anywhere to even assess their own skills and their development,” he said. “We believe that by the time they play with their peers, they will be able to really understand what they need to do more, what they lack.”
Though initially expected to include teams from other West African nations, only Nigeria’s clubs were able to participate.
Teams from Ghana and Togo were reportedly unable to cross borders due to unforeseen disturbances. Nonetheless, 14 teams from across Nigeria—representing cities such as Makurdi, Abuja, Minna, Enugu, and Ibadan—are currently competing in group-stage and round-robin fixtures.
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Mr Ahmedu also addressed concerns around age verification, a longstanding challenge in African youth sports.
He noted that strict eligibility criteria were applied, including submission of National Identity Numbers (NIN), existing international passports, and facial screening. “We can’t be 100% sure, but we laid out criteria… we are happy with the young kids, who we believe will learn and grow,” he said.
Importantly, the tournament also marks the beginning of a player monitoring system. “Any player that has played here now, his or her name is in the database. Going forward, you can’t change your age again. We have your photograph and your NIN,” Mr Ahmedu disclosed, adding that the database is part of a wider FIBA Africa directive for better talent tracking.
Despite limited support from the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), the tournament has gained backing from private donors and ex-internationals.
Mr Ahmedu commended individuals like Louis Edem, Hanson Oguche, Mannaseh Achi and Toba Shinkaye, amongst others, for their financial contributions. “If your product is good, people will support you,” he said.
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He also emphasised that the initiative is not a one-off. “This is just a starting point… the aim is to make this a continuous development project,” he added, reinforcing FIBA Africa’s vision to drive sustainable youth basketball programs across the continent.
Hosted by Warriors Basketball Academy, the tournament is being conducted under the mandate of the FIBA Africa Zone 3 Board, which awarded Nigeria the hosting rights earlier this year.
With the tournament underway, Mr Ahmedu’s message was clear: “It’s about the kids. It’s not for me. It’s for us all.”
The inaugural FIBA Africa Zone 3 Academies Tournament may have faced challenges, but it has laid a firm foundation for transparent, data-driven youth development in West African basketball.
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