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HFN Releases Programs of Activities For Year 2022

Published

5 years ago

January 4, 2022

The Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN) have released its programme of activities for the year 2022.

Secretary General of the federation, Alhaji Maigidansanma Mohammed, who released the list, said the programmes for the year will enable the HFN to adequately plan for its activities in the course of the year.

The activities, which majorly centers on the national teams and domestic programmes, begins with the National Division One League, the 2021 edition, which is to hold in February.

The winners of the Division One League will qualify for the Prudent Energy Handball Premier League 2022 and its first phase will hold in Abuja in May 2022 while the second phase would hold in October in Lagos.

Then the 2022 edition of the National Division One League will hold around November on a date to be decided. Teams will qualify for the top tier premier League in 2023.

The winners of the 2021 Prudent Energy Handball Premier League will participate in the 38th Africa Clubs Championship for the Winners’ Cup in April.

Other domestic activities are the National Under 18/21 Championship which is to hold in March; the National U-12/U-15 Handball Championship which should hold around July/August 2022; the 7th National Youth Games which hold in September in Kano; the 21st National Sports Festival which will hold from November 2nd to 15th, 2022 and the National Handball Open Championship which should hold in December amongst several others.

For the National Team activities, the under age national women’s teams (the National Under 18 and the under 21 Handball Women teams) will prepare actively for the 28th Women’s Juniors Africa Nations Championship which will hold from the 19th to the 26th of February 2022 and and the 17th Women’s Youth Africa Nations Championship which will hold from the February 27th to March 6th, 2022.

Both Championships will hold in Conakry, Guinea.

The under age national men teams (the National Under 18 and 21 Men teams) will not be left out as they also will prepare ahead of the 29th Men’s Juniors Africa Nations Championship which will hold from the 20th to 29th of August while the 18th Men’s Youth Africa Nations Championship will hold from August 30th to September 6th, 2022.
The two Championship will hold in Rwanda.

The under age national male teams will also participate in the IHF Challenge Trophy from the 11th to the 17th of April 2022.

The senior men national handball team, otherwise known as the Golden Arrows, will participate in the 25th Men’s Senior African Nations Cup which hold from the June 22nd to July 2nd 2022 in Morocco while their women counterparts, the senior national women’s handball team will soon commence preparations ahead of the 25th Women’s Seniors Africa Nations Cup which will hold from the 9th to 19th of November in Senegal.

The officials are not left out as the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN) have also planned trainings and seminars for them in the course of the year. The officials includes but not limited to handball coaches and referees.

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Alake Inaugurates Nigeria-US Solid Minerals Committee, Dismisses $700bn Claim, Says No Assets Sold

Published

5 days ago

October 28, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, on Tuesday inaugurated the Nigeria-United States Committee on Strategic Cooperation in the Solid Minerals Sector in Abuja, dismissing reports that Nigeria sold $700 billion worth of solid minerals to the US.

The inauguration followed the strategic cooperation framework established between Nigeria and the United States during the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Head PRESS and Public Relations Department Mrs. Kania Maliki Andeyaba stated that, Alake in the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, signed with the US is a government-to-government platform to facilitate business-to-business engagements between American investors and Nigerian local operators, not a sale of assets.

Harping on the importance of the solid minerals sector to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic diversification agenda, he noted that the administration was committed to reducing dependence on a mono-product economy through the sustainable development of Nigeria’s vast mineral resources.

According to him, the Nigeria–US partnership as a strategic initiative to attract investment, promote technology transfer, strengthen local mineral processing and create employment opportunities.

“There is no sale of any Nigerian asset. There’s nothing exchanging hands,” Alake declared.

“We created a platform to facilitate mingling of US investment ventures with Nigeria’s local operators. It is in the public domain. We signed it in public and published it in four or five national newspapers.”

The Minister said reports claiming the US was coming to take over Nigeria’s minerals and security architecture were untrue at best and products of riotous imagination at worst.

Explaining the policy thrust, Alake said Africa has historically held the short end of the stick in global economic transactions, and Nigeria is determined to change that model.

“We have the resources, the critical elements the world needs to transit to clean energy. So we are creating a new paradigm — you bring your capital, expertise and technology, to match with our natural resources and create a win-win situation . The investor gains, Nigeria gains.’’he said.

Nigeria, he stressed, had operated a mono-cultural economy dependent on oil, while solid minerals were exploited informally — with ores taken “from pit to port” without value addition.

Alake said government has now made local processing mandatory, refusing to grant mineral titles to investors without a clear pathway to processing in Nigeria.

He said the policy led to the springing up of processing factories, including the largest lithium processing plant in West Africa commissioned recently in Nasarawa by the Vice President, and informed the formation of the African Minerals Strategy Group.

Alake noted that investor confidence has returned due to macro-economic reforms by President Bola Tinubu that guarantee security of tenure and repatriation of profits.

He charged the committee to discharge its assignment responsibly, saying its work is strategic to achieving the President’s $1 trillion economy target.

To this end, he told the Committee to ensure effective coordination, identify investment opportunities and translate the framework into measurable outcomes capable of positioning Nigeria as a competitive player in the global solid minerals industry.

In his welcome address, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo, said the inauguration translates growing bilateral engagements into a structured framework for practical cooperation and investment mobilization

Economic Officer at the US Embassy, Jonathan Baas, said President Donald Trump has prioritized three areas for US embassies — energy, artificial intelligence/super intelligence, and critical minerals.

Baas said Washington’s direction is to work with partners to secure critical supply chains while ensuring partners capture value.

“We just signed a contract today on looking into building AI data centres in Nigeria at the Nigerian Economic Summit. That’s the direction Washington wants us to go,” he said.

In his vote of thanks, CEO/Managing Director of Nigeria Solid Minerals Company, NSMC said that the committee

is expected to coordinate implementation, facilitate investment and monitor progress towards achieving the objectives of the Nigeria–US cooperation framework.

The inauguration reinforces the Federal Government’s commitment to repositioning the solid minerals sector as a key driver of economic diversification, industrial development and national prosperity under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

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