Sports

FAME Foundation Teams Up With French Embassy To Empower Youth through Sports

Published

3 years ago

July 6, 2023

Joel Ajayi

FAME Foundation is proud to announce its new partnership with the French Embassy in Nigeria, ahead of the Olympic/Paralympics Games 2024.

The partnership under the Play it Dream it Initiative, strengthening the inclusion of young people and vulnerable people through sport, will inspire and teach valuable life skills to young people – particularly those that are consistently underserved, excluded, or economically disadvantaged.

In a statement Signed on Thursday in Abuja by Communications Officer, FAME Foundation Inyene Idiong revealed that an agreement was signed on July 1, 2023 serves as part of its commitment to creating more access and opportunity for the youth while there will be implementation of a wide range of projects aimed at empowering youths, athletes and promoting crucial social causes.

Far from being limited to the Olympic Games scheduled for the summer of 2024, the French Embassy in Nigeria is committed, in partnership with the NGO FAME Foundation, to uniting young people around the values of Paris 2024: creativity, making the utmost effort and sharing, and thus demonstrate that sport has the power to change everything.

These projects include, National Breaking Championship across 5 states in Nigeria which will be done in partnership with four different Alliances Française and the Institut Francais of Nigeria in Kano, Kaduna, Lagos, Rivers and FCT.

As parts of line up of activities, a Para Soccer competition, Para Weightlifting competition, Girl-Child Education and Menstrual Health Hygiene Workshop at designated IDP camps and schools, and capacity building seminar for Olympics and Paralympics coaches, ahead of the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics Tournaments that will take place in France.

Speaking to the press, Executive Director of FAME Foundation, Ms. Aderonke Ogunleye-Bello said the partnership is an avenue to support Nigerian Youth, Women and Girls, “through this partnership, opportunities will be created that will contribute to youth, women and girls well-being, creativity, and talent discovery while fostering diversity within the sports and underserved community. The Para Sports competition, on the other hand, will provide professional para-athletes the platform to showcase their skills and inspire others to overcome challenges.”

She continued, “since its inception, FAME Foundation has partnered with organizations that are purposefully using physical activities to positively impact communities around the world. With a shared belief that sport is so much more than a game, we are happy to collaborate with the French Embassy in its efforts to create opportunities for millions of young people to engage in sports and break down barriers for those who strive for more.”

FAME Foundation remains steadfast in its mission to empower women and girls, and also, with these projects, we aim to encourage athletes, promote social inclusion, and contribute to a brighter future for Nigeria. The project is financed by the Solidarity Fund for Innovative Projects (FSPI – R) of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. It aims to support initiatives in the areas of democratic governance, culture, French, higher education and research.

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Sports

Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney

Published

7 hours ago

October 3, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Jibril Seidu, has said the federation will continue to intensify its grassroots talent development drive through zonal competitions across the country.

Seidu stated this on Saturday in Abuja at the finals of the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship, where Plateau Vipers defeated Suleja Shooters 29-24 to emerge champions in the men’s category.

In the women’s final, Benue Queens of Makurdi defeated City Queens of Suleja to claim the title.

The eight-day tournament featured teams from across the North Central Zone, with Plateau Vipers of Jos, Confluence Stars of Lokoja, Unity Boys of Abuja, Suleja Shooters and Nasarawa Ambassadors of Lafia competing in the men’s category.

In the women’s category, Nuela Handball Academy of Ilorin, Inikpi Babes of Idah, Benue Queens of Makurdi and City Queens of Suleja competed for honours.

At the end of the competition, four teams — two male and two female — emerged as the North Central Zone’s representatives for the national Division One league.

According to Seidu, the tournament was organised as part of the federation’s deliberate strategy to take handball development back to the regions and discover talents that might otherwise remain unnoticed.

He said the HFN board, inaugurated on October 25, 2025, resolved that grassroots development was essential to creating a sustainable pipeline of players for national and international competitions.

“All the teams you have seen here are from the North Central Zone of the country, and every state is represented with an academy or state team,” he said.

Seidu explained that the new approach marked a departure from the previous system, where talent identification was largely centred on the federation’s major league competitions.

He said taking competitions to the regions would provide young players with greater opportunities to showcase their abilities while strengthening the foundation of handball across the country.

The HFN president also linked the grassroots initiative to Nigeria’s recent achievements in international handball, stressing the need to develop younger players who can eventually replace members of the current national teams.

He noted that Nigeria had qualified for the 2027 Men’s Junior Handball World Championship in North Macedonia, describing the achievement as evidence of the potential within the country’s handball system.

“How do we replace these players with upcoming players? This is the avenue for us to get players,” he said.

Seidu added that the federation was determined to make handball more visible and accessible, describing it as one of Nigeria’s major sporting disciplines with significant potential for growth.

The North Central tournament is part of a wider zonal programme designed to decentralise handball development across Nigeria.

According to the federation, similar competitions are being organised across other zones, including the South East, North East, North West and South South, with qualifiers from each zone expected to converge at a designated venue for the next stage of the competition.

The federation also appealed for greater support from sponsors, stakeholders and state associations to sustain its grassroots development programme.

It expressed appreciation to the participating states, academies, team sponsors and other stakeholders for their support and commitment to the growth of handball in Nigeria.

The federation said the initiative would provide a platform for discovering the next generation of Nigerian handball stars while expanding the sport’s reach beyond its traditional centres.
While Speaking the elated coach of Benue Queen Godwin Tondo has promised a stronger and more tactical performance after guiding the team to victory at the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship in Abuja.
He attributed the success to the team’s long-term youth development programme, noting that the squad was built through a deliberate process of identifying and nurturing young talents.
According to him, the programme began with the selection of 92 girls from secondary schools, who were subsequently trained and developed over a four-year period.

He said the team’s success was a product of sustained hard work and commitment despite the challenges encountered during preparations for the tournament.

“I feel very pleased being a champion today. The road to this stage was very, very hard, but I am very happy that we have got the result from all the toughness of the game,” he said.

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