Fashola hails young table tennis talents, seeks increased investment in sports
A former governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, has commended the performance of participants at the 2026 ITTF Africa Youth Cup, describing the tournament as a clear demonstration of Africa’s rich sporting talent.
Mr Fashola gave the commendation at the grand finale of the competition held at the Borteyman Sports Complex in Accra, where he served as the special guest.
This is contained in a statement to journalists on Thursday in Lagos by the federation’s Media Officer, Morakinyo Abodunrin.
According to Mr Fashola, the tournament highlights the continent’s vast human resources in sports and lauded the organisers for staging a successful event.
He stated, “I am particularly thrilled by the display of these young talents. It shows that our continent is rich in human resources when it comes to sports. Looking at what happened in Accra, I could see raw talents that only need refining to become world-class.
“I must commend the leadership of ITTF Africa, led by Wahid Oshodi, for putting up a good show for the world to see and I hope this can be replicated in other sports.”
Mr Fashola, a former minister of works and housing, was honoured during the tournament for his contributions to the growth of table tennis in Africa.
As governor of Lagos, he supported the launch of the Lagos Table Tennis Classic, which later became the Nigeria Open and has now grown into the WTT Contender Lagos.
Speaking on Africa’s youthful population, Mr Fashola urged leaders across the continent to invest more in sports development.
He said, “Looking at Africa’s strength as the continent with the youngest people in the world, investing in sports will help us immensely. These young people can earn a lot from sports. As we know, sports is now a trillion-dollar industry globally. If we deliberately invest in grassroots sports development, we can truly benefit as a continent.”
The former governor also urged policymakers to see sports not only as recreation, but as a major industry capable of driving economic growth and improving Africa’s future.
(NAN)
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