Former Lagos State Governor and former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, will attend the final of the 2026 ITTF Africa Youth Cup at the Borteyman Sports Complex in Accra, Ghana, Boldsports report.
The two-day competition, scheduled for July 28 and 29, has been named the Babatunde Raji Fashola Cup in recognition of his contribution to the growth and revival of table tennis in Africa.
Fashola played a prominent role in raising the sport’s profile during his tenure as Lagos State Governor, particularly through the launch of the Lagos Table Tennis Classics in 2013. The competition later developed into one of Africa’s leading international table tennis events.
He is expected to be joined at the final by members of the African Table Tennis Federation’s Executive Committee, led by ITTF Africa President Wahid Oshodi, as some of the continent’s leading young players compete for titles in the U-15 and U-19 categories.
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The Youth Cup follows the conclusion of the ITTF Africa Youth Championships at the same venue, where Nigeria retained the boys’ U-19 team title after producing a dramatic comeback to defeat Egypt 3-2 in the final.
The competition is intended to provide another high-level platform for emerging African players, promote stronger rivalry among the continent’s leading table tennis nations and help prepare young talents for international competition.
Defending boys’ U-19 singles champion Wassim Essid of Tunisia returns as one of the leading contenders, while Algeria’s Tania Morice and Bilel Zouitene have moved into the U-19 category after winning U-15 titles at the previous edition.
Essid and Egypt’s Yara Elbadawy are the top seeds in the boys’ and girls’ U-19 events respectively. Uganda’s Joseph Sebatindira and Tunisia’s Ela Saidi lead the seedings in the U-15 categories.
Nigeria’s Matthew Kuti is also expected to be among the players to watch in the boys’ U-19 singles event.
Kuti played an important role in Nigeria’s team victory over Egypt at the Africa Youth Championships, recovering from an earlier defeat to beat Abdelmalk Elsayed 3-1 and force the deciding match in the final. Quadri Atunwon subsequently completed Nigeria’s comeback by winning the final contest.
However, Kuti’s singles campaign at the preceding Youth Championships ended in the quarter-finals following a 4-2 defeat to Elsayed. Nigeria’s Sultan Agunbiade and Matthew Fabunmi were also eliminated at the same stage.
The girls’ U-19 event is expected to feature another strong challenge from Egypt, although Algerian sisters Jade and Tania Morice are among the players capable of disrupting the established order.
The tournament forms part of a sustained effort by ITTF Africa to strengthen youth development and build a broader group of players capable of challenging beyond the continent.
With the Africa Youth Championships and Youth Cup staged consecutively in Accra, the programme has provided young players with an extended period of continental competition and exposure.
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