The organisers of the 2026 ITTF Africa Youth Cup holding in Ghana have listed former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, as a distinguished guest at the grande finale of the championship scheduled for the Borteyman Sports Complex in Accra.

The two-day tournament is named the Babatunde Raji Fashola (BRF) Cup in recognition of his pivotal role in championing table tennis’ renaissance in Africa, notably by launching the Lagos Table Tennis Classics in 2013.

The former Nigerian Minister of Works and Housing will be joined by dignitaries including the Executive Committee of the African Table Tennis Federation (ITTF Africa), led by President Wahid Oshodi, to cheer on young talents from across the continent.

The competition aims to spotlight emerging talents and foster healthy rivalry among Africa’s youth, with the long-term vision of elevating the event into a global tournament.

Last year’s U-19 boys’ singles champion, Wassim Essid of Tunisia, returns as a favourite. Algeria’s Tania Morice and Bilel Zouitene, former U-15 winners, will now compete in the U-19 division.

The top seeds include Tunisia’s Essid and Egypt’s Yara Elbadawy in U-19, while Uganda’s Joseph Sebatindira and Tunisia’s Ela Saidi lead the U-15 rankings.

The boys’ U-19 singles promises to be particularly fierce, with Nigeria’s Matthew Kuti in scintillating form after leading his country to victory against the top-seeded Egyptian at the ITTF Africa Youth Championships. In the girls’ U-19 category, Algerian siblings Jade Morice and Tania Morice are expected to pose a serious challenge to the Egyptian favourites.

Meanwhile, Egypt and Nigeria have booked their places at the 2026 ITTF World Youth Championships (WYC) in Istanbul, Turkey, after emerging victorious in the team events of the Africa Youth Championships held in Accra.

Egypt’s U-15 boys and girls teams, along with its U-19 girls’ squad, will represent the continent at the global tournament scheduled for November 21–28.

Nigeria’s U-19 boys’ team will also fly Africa’s flag, completing the continent’s representation at the prestigious event.

Reflecting on the standard of play in Accra and the quality of teams heading to Turkey, ITTF Africa Deputy President, Alfred Bagueka, expressed satisfaction with the growing competitiveness of the championship.

“I am particularly impressed with the outcome of this year’s tournament. More teams and players took part, making the competition tougher and more exciting. I can see significant improvement across all teams, especially from lesser-known sides whose players added to the competitiveness,” he said.

Looking ahead to the World Youth Championships, Bagueka acknowledged the progress but stressed the need for African players to rise further on the global stage.

“In the last five years, we have had Omar Assar and Quadri Aruna among the best in the world. But lately, how many African players are in the top 20 globally? We must redouble our efforts to ensure our players reach that level. I am hopeful that these young talents can break through at the world stage,” he added.

The qualification of Egypt and Nigeria underscores Africa’s growing presence in youth table tennis and highlights the continent’s potential to produce future stars capable of competing with the very best internationally.