Angola goes down in history by hosting the 4th African Youth Games – ANGOLA 2025 – for the first time. A major multi-sports continental competition destined for young African athletes aged between 14 and 17. This important event will take place in Luanda and other Angolan cities from the 10th to the 20th of December 2025, and will bring together the young sporting elite from all 54 African countries.
Angola is the first Portuguese-speaking country to host African Youth Games. It’s a major continental event during which the country will celebrate its 50 years of independence together with 54 African nations.
These Games, whose logo and mascot, the “Galinha from Angola” (chicken from Angola), were officially approved by ANOCA, are far more than an ordinary competition. Their main objectives are to promote sports among African youths, to discover and develop sports talents for upcoming international competitions, including the ’’seniors’’’ African Games, the Olympic Youth Games (Dakar 2026) and even the Olympic Games. Their aim is also to promote inclusion, cultural exchanges and unity among African countries through sports and Olympic values.
The staging of this historic event comes after an agreement made official between Angola and the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA). The document was signed by the Angolan Minister of Youth and Sports, Rui Luís Falcão Pinto de Andrade, the President of ANOCA, Mustapha Berraf, and the President of the Angolan Olympic Committee (OCA), Gustavo da Conceição.
It is an opportunity for Angola to reaffirm its commitment to manage the staging of a major sports event for the African continent.
«I wish to congratulate the Government, and more particularly the President of the Republic, H.E. Mr. João Lourenço. Angola possesses infrastructure and human resources capable of making these 2025 African Games, a memorable rendezvous. All guarantees for their success are obvious, and we intend to stage a great and wonderful jamboree for African sports, to the joy and happiness of the continent’s youths», said Mustapha Berraf, the President of ANOCA.
A national commitment and ready-to-shine infrastructure
Angola’s commitment to the development of African sports has been recognized at the highest level through the award of the ANOCA “Medal of Merit “ to the President of the Republic, João Lourenço.
This distinction, the first in its kind for an Angolan leader, hails his determining role in the promotion of national sports and the hosting of international competitions.
According to the Minister of Youth and Sports, Rui Luís Falcão Pinto de Andrade, « These African Youth Games provide Angola with an opportunity to demonstrate its organizational abilities and to upgrade its national sports infrastructure, thus positioning the country as a strategic hub of African sports. ».
He also assured that all financial arrangements have already been secured, with resources from the General State Budget (OGE) within the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence on 11 November 2025.
ANOCA President, Mustapha Berraf, hailed this commitment as follows: «Angola possesses infrastructure and human resources capable of making these 2025 African Games a memorable rendezvous. All guarantees for their success are obvious, and we intend to stage a great and wonderful jamboree for African sports, to the joy and happiness of the continent’s youths».
He further stated that :
«Sport is a powerful tool for development, and this initiative is clear testimony of what we can achieve together ».
An ANOCA delegation, including its President Mustapha Berraf and its Vice-President João Da Costa Alegre AFONSO, carried out visits in December 2024, to assess sports and social infrastructure, and confirmed that Angola « offers adequate conditions». Sites visited include the Kilamba Multi-sports pavilion, the 11th November Stadium, the Olympafrica Multipurpose Centre, the Alvalade Pool and many others, thereby testifying that the country is capable of hosting international or intercontinental events. The construction of Angola’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) headquarters was hailed, thereby asserting the country’s institutional presence and capabilities.
A diversified sports programme and mobilized cities
The Luanda 2025 African Youth Games will propose about 33 sports disciplines, thus offering young talents various platforms. Sports disciplines on the programme include Athletics, Rowing, 3×3 Basketball and Basketball, Boxing, Cycling (highway race and BMX), Fencing, Horsing, Football and Beach Soccer, Futsal, Golf, Weightlifting, Gymnastics, Handball and Beach Handball, Judo, Karate-Dô, Wrestling, Swimming, Rugby, Tennis, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Triathlon, Skateboard, Breakdance, Sports shooting, and even African traditional games such as the Kiela and the Wela.
The competition will spread over many host cities: Luanda, Benguela, Lubango, Huambo, Moçâmedes and Caxito. Specific cities will host key disciplines :
- Benguela: Football, Futsal, Beach soccer, Beach Handball, Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, Basketball, 3×3 Basketball, Sports shooting.
- Bengo : Athletics.
- Luanda: Wrestling, Taekwondo, Judo, Karate-Dô, Boxing, Fencing, Swimming (including on waterways), Canoeing, Tennis, Table Tennis, Skateboard, Triathlon, Golf, Weightlifting, Wela.
Many preparatory events have already taken place or are on the pipeline to test infrastructure and athletes, such as the African Fencing Championships (February-May 2025), the International Gymnastics Festival (April 2025), the International Boxing Tournament (May 2025), the Karaté-Dô Independence Cup (June 2025), and the African Judo Championships (July 2025). The African Canoeing Championship is also scheduled to take place in August 2025 in preparation for the Games.
A bright future for African youths
These Games represent a significant step for youth’s sports in Africa and for Angola’s image on the international scene. Angola, who participated in the las three editions of the African Youth Games and occupied the 21st position in 2018 with seven medals, is proud to be the ever first Portuguese-speaking country to host such event.
ANOCA President, Mustapha Berraf, launched this vibrant call to Africa’s youths:
« Train hard and be disciplined. These Games are for you a unique opportunity to demonstrate your talent, to strengthen your competitive spirit and to make your nation’s flag fly high. They are also an opportunity for you to learn, share and build a better future through sports values».
Angola is ready to welcome the continent’s best athletes and to make these Games a place where dreams come true, where Africa’s cultural and sports diversity will be brought to light, and where strong friendship and brotherhood ties will be woven.
«By signing this memorandum of understanding, we are taking a collective commitment: providing youths with necessary means to dream, to excel and to blossom out. Together, we are laying the foundation of an event that will indelibly be printed in history and in hearts », Mustapha Berraf concluded.
A springboard towards Dakar 2026
These Games are of special strategic importance, since they will serve as qualifiers for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, thus providing young African talents with a unique opportunity to progress towards higher international competitions.
«These African Youth Games provide Angola with an opportunity to demonstrate its organizational abilities and to upgrade its national sports infrastructure, thus positioning the country as a strategic hub of African sports », said Minister Rui Luís Falcão Pinto de Andrade.
The 4th edition of the Angola 2025 Youth African Games promises to write a new page in the history of African sports, putting together sports excellence, cultural celebration and continental diplomacy in an event that will be remembered forever.
Chef de Mission’s Seminar of the 4th Youth African Games : A crucial, step for the success of the Angola 2025 Games
The build-up to the 4th Angola 2025 African Youth Games goes through a crucial phase with the holding of the Chefs de Mission’s Seminar scheduled for 11 to 15 September 2025.
This strategic meeting, which is holding less than three months before the competition (10-20 December 2025), shall bring together delegations’ officials from the 54 participating African nations to put the final touch to all operational aspects of this major continental event.
A must-be event in the African Olympic agenda
The Chefs de Mission’s Seminar is by tradition one of the most critical phases in the organization of any major sports event.
As concerns the Angola 2025 African Youth Games, this meeting is of particular importance, since they are holding within an exceptional context: Angola becomes the first ever Portuguese-speaking country to host this competition, coinciding with the celebration of the 50th year of independence of this country.
This intensive working session will be used by Angolan organisers, with the support of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), to present all details on final arrangements relating to accommodation, transport, accreditations, security and general security, for the event that will be hosted by six cities: Luanda, Benguela, Lubango, Huambo, Moçâmedes and Caxito.
The seminar’s objectives are as follows: the preparation of delegations, the exchange of information, the tightening of links between the various delegations and the organizers. Issues such as accreditation procedures, logistics and accommodation, as well as the presentation of the Games’ specific rules and regulations, including health and security protocols usually feature central in deliberations.
The objective is to come out with an efficient preparation for successful Games.
The Chef de Mission’s Strategic role within the Olympic ecosystem
The Chef de Mission holds a central and multifunctional position within the international sports competitions’ structure. As main organizer of the national delegation, his responsibilities go far beyond purely sporting aspects to include diplomatic, logistic, medical and psychological dimensions which are essential to the success of his/her mission.
- During the Olympic Games, the Chef de Mission embodies the highest authority of his delegation. He coordinates the overall activities of the national team, from the entry into the Olympic village until departure after the competitions. His mission includes overseeing the training of athletes, managing relationships with international media, coordinating with International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) officials, and above all, the development and keeping of an optimal environment, so as to allow each athlete express his/her full potential. He also has to manage formal aspects, especially during opening and closing ceremonies, and ensure that Olympic values of excellence, friendship an respect are upheld.
- Within the African Games context, this responsibility takes a specific continental dimension. The Chef de Mission becomes his country’s ambassador to other African countries, contributing to strengthen brotherhood and friendship relationships advocated by these competitions. He/she has to evolve within a multicultural and multilingual environment, respecting each nation’s peculiarities, while working for the event’s overall harmony. His duties extend to promoting intercultural exchanges and developing bilateral relations between African countries through sports.
- For School African Games, the Chef de Mission’s role carries a special educative dimension. He has to ensure that young participants, who are often experiencing their first international experience, enjoy appropriate pedagogic follow-up. His duties include liaising with their schools of origin, ensuring educational continuity during the competition, and transmitting fair-play and academic excellence besides sports performance. He acts as mentor to these young talents, guiding them through the discovery of high-level sports while safeguarding their personal and academic balance.
Angola 2025 : Specific challenges for Chefs de Mission
The 4th Angola 2025 African Youth Games feature unique characteristics which call for special preparations in favour of Chefs de Mission. With 33 sports disciplines spread over six cities, logistic management becomes extremely complex. Chefs de Mission will have to coordinate the movements of their delegations through various competition sites, from combat sports based in Luanda, up to athletics to be held in Bengo, through team sports in Benguela.
The multicultural dimension of the event, which brings together young men and women aged between 14 and 17, coming from 54 African nations, calls for a particularly kind and educative approach on the part of Chefs de Mission. They have to put in place a protective environment for these young athletes while allowing them to fully enjoy this enriching intercontinental experience.
The inclusion of traditional sports such as the Kiela and Wela games into the games’ programme pose a new stimulating cultural challenge. Chefs de Mission will have to sensitize their athletes to these authentic African disciplines, thus contributing to protect and promote the continent’s sports legacy.
The September 2025 seminar will also have as objective to train these Chefs de Mission in their role as talent detectors. Since these Games will serve as qualifiers the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, each Chef de Mission will have to identify and support his/her delegation’s younger hopes that may represent Africa on the world Olympic arena.
This responsibility falls in line with Africa’s sport development long-term vision, whereby each Chef de Mission becomes an essential component of the training chain of the continent’s future Olympic champions.
Ongoing training for excellence
The 11-15 September 2025 seminar falls within a move to permanently professionalize African sports managers. It will enable Chefs de Mission to share best practices, to learn from experiences gathered during previous editions (Rabat 2010, Gaborone 2014, Algiers 2018), and to prepare for specific challenges awaiting them during the Angolan edition.
This extensive training will ensure that each national delegation takes the best advantage possible of benefits derived from its participation to the Games, both in terms of sports performances as in terms of cultural and human enrichment for its young athletes.
Counting on its infrastructure which have been validated by ANOCA and on its guaranteed financial commitment, Angola is therefore ready to host an event that will deeply mark the history of African sports, with perfectly trained Chefs de Mission, ready to fulfil their crucial duty to support the continent’s youths towards sports excellence.
