Uyi Akpata, the President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF), recently revealed the federation’s ambitious goal to position Nigeria among the top three cricket-playing nations in Africa by the year 2026.
He made this announcement during a conversation with journalists at the conclusion of the federation’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Abuja over the weekend.
Akpata explained, “Our objective for 2026 is to participate in the men’s World Cup, and for the women’s team, this achievement could come as early as next year. It’s important to remember that we’ve already made significant progress, especially in U19 cricket. Although we’re not participating this year, we are very close to reaching our goals. By 2026, we aim to be ranked among the top three cricket-playing nations in Africa, just behind Zimbabwe and South Africa.”
He further outlined that the federation is focusing on four key areas: increasing participation, enhancing facilities, improving performance, and securing sponsorships. Akpata also highlighted the positive developments in player performance. “This year, we hosted an international men’s tournament for the first time in several years, and the results were impressive. We won all ten matches, showcasing our significant progress. Just five years ago, Ghana outperformed us, but now we’ve demonstrated our dominance over them.”
In terms of rankings, Nigeria has moved up from the 8th position to 7th in Africa. Akpata expressed his confidence that, by 2026, they will achieve their goal of becoming one of the top three cricket-playing nations on the continent.
The women’s cricket team is also making remarkable strides, moving from 38th to 28th in the rankings. Their success has included winning an invitational tournament. The federation is now preparing for the World Cup qualifier in December, and there’s a strong possibility for the women’s team to qualify for the ICC T20 World Cup.
Financially, the NCF has experienced improvements, with more sponsors stepping in to support their programs. Akpata noted that these developments have established a solid cricket brand, making it an attractive proposition for commercial partners to collaborate with the federation.
