By Fortune Abang
Abuja, Dec. 18, 2023
Kalilou Traore, the Ambassador of Côte d’Ivoire to Nigeria, has reiterated his country’s readiness to host the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Traore stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.
NAN reports that the tournament is scheduled to hold from Jan. 13 to Feb. 11.
According to the envoy, his country has put all measures in place to ensure a hitch-free tournament.
“This will be one of the biggest events for Africa and you can imagine that all the entire Côte Ivorian people are mobilised to make it a very great event.
“This is starting from the Head of State, President Alassane Ouattara, and the Prime Minister, who right now is the Minister of Sports and is particularly in charge of the organisation of this tournament.
“Beyond the government, the population has been mobilised. The tourism sector has been mobilised, the security, the building sector have built many stadiums that will host different matches.
“So, all the sectors in Côte d’Ivoire have been mobilised and they are almost ready.
“Now, they are fine-tuning all the little little things, so that they will be ready before the official opening on Jan. 13.”
The envoy explained that the mobilisation has been in terms of budget and overhaul of infrastructure to ensure a successful tournament.
“Of course, when I say the whole government is mobilised, it means that officials of the government are mobilised, and the budget of the government is also allocated for this tournament.
“You know when you want to build six or seven stadiums it will gulp a lot of money, especially when you want to put in place all the facilities,” he said.
Traore further said the Ivorian government was working closely with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to achieve the desired goals.
“Each country has to take charge of its own team, but when they bring them into Côte d’Ivoire, the facilities are there for them to use,“he said.
He said that every facility which would facilitate the performance of the teams has been provided by the government of Côte d’Ivoire.
The envoy assured that Côte d’Ivoire and CAF were working together with the various participating countries’ football federations to ensure a hitch-free AFCON in the country.
“I recently visited the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president, and he is in touch with his counterparts in Côte d’Ivoire in terms of preparation,” he said.
In a related development, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu last Thursday, received the trophy of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) ahead of the opening of the tournament in Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, next year.
The trophy, arriving from Morocco, touched down in Lagos on Thursday.
The trophy was presented to Sanwo-Olu by Visa team led by Vice President and Head of West Africa Cluster, Andrew Uaboi.
Visa is the official digital payment provider approved by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Receiving the trophy at the State House in Marina, Sanwo-Olu said the symbolic gesture reinforced the importance the nation attached to talent development, noting that Nigerians looked forward to interesting contest and exciting moments at 2023 AFCON.
Sanwo-Olu tipped the Super Eagles to win the trophy, saying the national team had the physical skills it needed to be victorious in the tournament. With the right player selection and proper preparation, the Governor said Super Eagles would make Nigeria proud.
He said: “AFCON may be a continental competition but the platform has grown over the years to be a global brand. The world is patiently waiting for the opening match to kick off. We are looking forward to exciting moments when the competition starts in January. We are fully committed to making our team coming out strong and compete in the league.”
While AFCON may be a global brand, Sanwo-Olu said he expected CAF to inject local flavour in the contest. The Federation, he said, should engage indigenous skills to help in diverse areas and make the organisation of the game better.
The Governor said Lagos would continue to support development of local football talents and sustain the excitement in sports.
Uaboi thanked Sanwo-Olu for the hosting the team, noting that Lagos was chosen as the host of the trophy’s tour, given its position in the country as a hub for sports.
The trophy will move to Egypt on Friday and will crisscross all the 24 participating countries before landing in Abidjan – the host city.
