Nigeria and Egypt will explore areas of mutual benefits for the development of the growth of the countries’ youth and sports industry.
Speaking in Cairo, Egypt at the recent Association of National Olympics Committee of Africa (ANOCA) General Assembly, Youth and Sports Development Minister, Sunday Dare, said sports play important roles in international relations, builds friendship and develops the youth population. He added that Nigeria and Egypt stood to gain many benefits by going into partnership in the sector.
“As two pacesetters on the continent, Nigerian and Egyptian youth can get more mileage if we explore areas of mutual benefits for the growth of our two countries,” he said, adding, “Youths are the active participants in sports, once they are taken care of, a better future is assured. This meeting is quite timely, coming at a time we are preparing for the Olympics. Sports can be used to conquer COVID-19 as the world is united to win the scourge through sports.”
Dare used the opportunity of the meeting to introduce the DEEL programme, assuring that the two countries could collaborate to make the initiative more beneficial.
In his response, Egypt’s Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Professor Ashraf Sobhy, said, “We can make a lot of difference if we deploy sports for youth empowerment, build bridges of unity and enhance social mobilisation. The potential of the future lies in our youth, so they must be properly trained to meet the challenges of new world order.”