The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Strategic Conference kicked off on Wednesday in Santa Maria – a city on Sal Island in southern Cabo Verde—with a meeting dedicated to the technical development of African football, CAF announced on its website.
The CAF Strategic Conference launches three days of discussions focused on the development and future of football across the continent. CAF Acting General Secretary Samson Adamu, along with
technical officials, former international players, and African football experts, are participating in the proceedings.
The first day focuses on the CAF Technical and Development Committee, with discussions covering areas such as training, youth player development, technical coaching, and the implementation of sustainable programs across the continental body’s 54 member associations.
Training at the heart of discussions
According to CAF, strengthening training structures and improving technical coaching are key priorities for boosting the competitiveness of African football.
The continental body reports that 19,685 coaches were certified between 2021 and 2026 through its various training levels, ranging from CAF C, B, and A licenses to the Pro License.
The discussions aim to examine ways to consolidate player and coach training systems and to develop structures capable of supporting national teams over the long term.
The conference follows the participation of 10 African teams in the 2026 World Cup – nine of which reached the knockout stage – according to data presented by CAF.
The meeting aims to analyse this performance and identify the factors that contributed to the results achieved by African representatives, with an eye toward upcoming international competitions.
The second day, scheduled for Thursday, will be dedicated to a strategic meeting of the presidents of CAF member associations. Friday’s proceedings will focus notably on a technical analysis of Africa’s participation in the 2026 World Cup.
Several national team coaches and key football figures are expected to attend this stage, including Arsene Wenger, FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, as well as Mohamed Ouahbi, Pedro “Bubista” Brito, Hossam Hassan, Sebastien Desabre, and Carlos Queiroz.
The CAF Strategic Conference aims to draw lessons from recent African performances and examine measures capable of sustainably strengthening football development across the continent.
SS/te/Sf/fss/as/APA