By Amaechi Agbo
Nigeria Weightlifting Federation (NWF) President, Dr Ibrahim Abdul, has received another major recognition on the continental stage after emerging as the pioneer President of the newly established Weightlifting Federation of Africa (WFA) Central Zone Federation.
Dr Abdul was elected during the inaugural meeting of the Central Zone Federation held on Sunday following the decision of the WFA Executive Board to restructure the sport across the continent into five administrative zones aimed at accelerating development, improving governance and strengthening weightlifting activities in Africa.
The newly created zones are North, West, East, Central and South Zone Federations.
Nigeria belongs to the Central Zone, which comprises several countries including Cameroon, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Equatorial Guinea, Burkina Faso, Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The meeting elected Dr Abdul as President, while Cameroon’s Boukar Tikire emerged Vice President and Ghana’s Jerry Shaib Ahmed was named Secretary General.
Other members of the executive committee are Vincent Aka Akessé (Côte d’Ivoire), Maria Dolores (Equatorial Guinea), Anderson Tosh Bei (Liberia), alongside representatives from Burkina Faso, Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The host nation for the inaugural Central Zone Weightlifting Championships is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Reacting to his election, Dr Abdul expressed gratitude to member nations for the confidence reposed in him and pledged to justify their trust through purposeful leadership.
“I am deeply honoured by this election and I sincerely thank all member federations for the confidence they have placed in me. This is not only a recognition of my efforts but also a reflection of the growing influence and contributions of Nigeria to the development of weightlifting in Africa,” Dr Abdul said.
The NWF president described the creation of the zonal structure as a significant step towards strengthening the sport across the continent.
“This new structure presents an opportunity to bring weightlifting closer to our athletes, coaches and administrators. Our mission is to build a strong and vibrant Central Zone that will serve as a model for talent discovery, athlete development and administrative excellence.”
Dr Abdul added that his administration would focus on increasing competitions, enhancing technical education programmes and creating more opportunities for young lifters within the zone.
“We will work closely with all member nations to organise regular championships, improve coaching and officiating standards, and establish pathways for our athletes to compete successfully at continental and global levels. Together, we can elevate weightlifting in the Central Zone and contribute meaningfully to Africa’s success on the world stage.”
Meanwhile, WFA President Engr Khaled Mehalhel, Secretary General Engr Manareddin Eshelli and members of the WFA Executive Board congratulated the newly elected zonal executives and expressed confidence in their ability to promote and develop weightlifting across their respective regions.
