Praia (Cape Verde): ANOCA President, the Honourable Mustapha BERRAF, on 28 September 2023 led an important delegation to Praia ahead of the 2nd Gender Equality Forum billed for Sal Island on 2 and 3 October.
Featuring prominently on the ANOCA President’s agenda were the presentation to the President of the Republic, His Excellency José Maria NEVES, of the objectives of the 2nd Gender Equality Forum and the laying of the foundation stone for the construction of the headquarters of NOC Cape Verde. The President’s schedule was respected to the letter.
Accompanied by the First Vice President of ANOCA, the Treasurer General of the institution and the President of NOC Cape Verde, the ANOCA President was received in audience by the President of the Republic of Cape Verde, who hailed “the work done by ANOCA for the benefit of the African Olympic and Sports Movement thanks to the strong involvement of the Honourable Mustapha BERRAF and his Executive Committee.”
He also expressed satisfaction with the fact “… that the Gender Equality Forum is being organised in Cape Verde, as we have also taken up the cause for the promotion of gender equality.”
President BERRAF extended an invitation to the President of the Republic to preside at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Gender Equality Forum, in which all 54 African countries are expected to participate.
He equally availed himself of the opportunity to hand to the President of the Republic of Cape Verde the latest issue of the ANOCA Magazine, which prominently features the success of the 2nd African Beach Games held this year in Hammamet, Tunisia.
The ceremony to lay the foundation stone for the headquarters of NOC Cape Verde was attended by a good number of dignitaries. Speaking on the occasion, the Honourable Mustapha BERRAF declared: This day marks a defining milestone for the African Olympic and Sports Movement in general and Cape Verde in particular… We will once again write the history of sport and Olympism in Africa … Cape Verde, this wonderful country, is demonstrating its commitment to making sport a vehicle for development and building an ideal way of life for its young people. Your country’s National Olympic Committee is determined to endow itself with a futuristic infrastructure that meets its objectives of fostering sport and Olympism. This speaks to the NOC’s desire to push for good practices in sports governance and is to be congratulated.”
Taking the floor thereafter, the President of NOC Cape Verde, Mrs Filomena Maria FORTES, said: “It’s a dream that took root three years ago, and today we are laying the first block that will give rise to a 100% sustainable infrastructure, through bio-construction and the use of recycled materials. This is a pioneering project in Africa, the first of its kind to be designed and built by the local community. Building the Olympic headquarters from scratch is part of a project that will incorporate our Olympafrica Centre. As well as serving as the NOC’s administrative headquarters, it will include community areas that locals will be able to use for their activities. The new infrastructure will be built on a 1,690.36 square metre plot of land, worth about nine million Cape Verdean escudos.”
For his part, the Coordinator of the NOC headquarters construction project, ANOCA Treasurer General Engr. Habu Ahmed GUMEL said: “This is a laudable project that our President Mr Mustapha Berraf holds very dearly to his heart, since he made the commitment some 2 years ago that all the African National Olympic Committees that are in need or having dilapidated offices MUST have befitting operational environment to enable them serve their people in the right mindset, through this project he has initiated to help our National Olympic Committees.”
NOC Cape Verde is one of the 9 NOCs to have submitted all the required documents in order to benefit from the project’s spin-offs. The ceremony to lay the foundation stone of the headquarters of the Cape Verde National Olympic Committee was graced by the Mayor of the City of Praia.
