CYSDP co-hosts Eagles Championship Project in West Africa

John Oluwadero, the Africa Regional Representative of the Commonwealth Youth Sport for Development and Peace Working Group (CYSDP), recently completed the residential fellowship component of President Obama’s Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) West Africa at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) in Lagos from September to October 2016.

YALI was launched by President Obama as a signature effort to invest in the next generation of African leaders.

The programme is hosted by ASCON and the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), and comprises participants from Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Burkina Faso.

As a way of fostering harmony, peace and unity among participants across West Africa, a football tournament tagged ‘Eagles Championship Project’ was organised by the Eagles Class Group with the support of CYSDP. The initiative was aimed at addressing the need for physical exercise in the five-week intensive programme, as well as fostering unity among the various participants.

The tournament took place at the ASCON Football field on from 17-18 November 2016, featuring 11 players from four participating teams, with Team C emerging victorious.  Once again, sport has proven itself to be a worthy and unique tool for promoting intercultural diplomacy, positive youth development and most importantly – peace and harmony across borders of religion, race and ethnicity.

As a way of ensuring continuity of the vision of promoting development and peace through Sports, CYSDP in partnership with the Eagles Class Group is working towards the sustainability of the ‘Eagles Championship’ Project during the subsequent YALI West Africa cohorts.