Budapest, Hungary, 13 October 2025
The Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), led by its President, the Honourable Mustapha BERRAF, recently signed a landmark elite sports cooperation agreement with the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Szijjártó, who was accompanied on the occasion by Sports Minister, Adam Schmidt, the NOC President Zsolt Gyulay, and IOC member, Balázs Fürjes.
Also present at the signing ceremony on the ANOCA side were the following Executive Committee members: Mrs Filomena Fortes, Second Vice President; Mr Alfred Foloko, Third Vice President; Engr. Habu Ahmed Gumel, Treasurer General; and Mr Abderrahmane Hammad, ANOCA Zone 1 Representative.
Speaking on the occasion, the Hungarian Foreign Minister expressed his country’s willingness to support ANOCA and African sport in general.
This landmark agreement is a historic milestone, unlocking promising opportunities for both parties to develop and enhance sports excellence in Africa.
The groundbreaking partnership is based on two key cornerstones: training elite athletes and building the capacities of African sports leaders.
The agreement provides for:
- Hosting of African athletes in Hungarian centres of excellence;
- Organisation of technical training courses;
- Training cycles for NOC executives, in collaboration with renowned Hungarian institutions.
This collaboration between ANOCA and Hungary exemplifies strategic intelligent sports diplomacy. It strengthens Hungary’s international influence through sport, while for Africa, it presents a unique opportunity to speed up its development by harnessing sports potential as a catalyst for human, economic and diplomatic growth.
For Mustapha BERRAF, who has consistently advocated for fair and innovative North-South cooperation, this agreement makes the African Olympic project more credible: “African sport deserves to be supported with respect, ambition and rigour. This agreement is a victory for vision, dialogue and the will to move forward together,” he said.
Furthermore, the Budapest agreement is more than just a goodwill pact: it is a strategic instrument for shaping the future of African sport. It aims to fill a recurring gap: the lack of infrastructure for the ongoing training of African sports leaders and executives. By building the technical and managerial capacities of NOC leaders, ANOCA is going down to the roots of long-term performance.
It equally has huge benefits for athletes: access to modern facilities, high-level scientific coaching and competitive European environments will help to refine the already immense potential of African talent.
It will also be an opportunity to initiate a new generation of athlete-builders, trained in the dual culture of sport and governance.
This agreement is fully in line with ANOCA’s 2036 development strategy, which aims, among other things, to position an African country as a potential host for the Olympic Games.
This dream, which IOC Honorary Life President Thomas Bach himself has encouraged, can only become a reality if the continent consolidates its sporting, human and organisational foundations.
At a time when the world is celebrating the values of peace, unity and personal achievement through sport, the agreement between ANOCA and Hungary stands as a model of solidarity and visionary cooperation.
It shows that Africa is not just asking for help, but for structured partnerships based on mutual respect and excellence. African sport is therefore entering a new era, and Budapest could well be one of its founding milestones.
