24 Countries Seal Qualification For 2023 AFCON

All 24 countries that will trade tackles at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote D’Ivoire have sealed qualification for the tournament. Five-time AFCON champions Cameroon on Tuesday spanked Burundi 3-O to complete the star-studded list of qualified teams. A breakdown of the qualified countries shows that 12 former AFCON champions, including three-time champions Nigeria will be on parade come January, 2024. Hosts, Cote d’Ivoire will be leading a strong West African contingent of 11 countries, including holders Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea, Burkina Faso among others. Tanzania representing East Africa returns for a second finals after a brave showing in the qualifiers. The North Africans are represented by seven-time champions Egypt, World Cup semi-finalists Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. Egypt will be looking for an eighth unprecedented title, having reached two of the last three finals in 2017 and at the 2021 edition. There will be no debutants in this edition, as the continent’s football power houses managed to maintain and seal qualification. The 2023 AFCON will take place from January 13 to February 11, 2024, after it was postponed from it’s original June, 2023 date. Full list of 24 qualified countries are: Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire (Hosts) and DR Congo. Others are Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco and Mozambique, Others are Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal (Title Holders), South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zambia.

FIBA Afrobasket: Nigeria’s D’Tigress maul Egypt, berth quarter-final

The Nigerian senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, demonstrated their prowess once again in the ongoing 2023 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket tournament, securing a convincing victory against Egypt and booking their spot in the quarterfinals. On a Sunday showdown at the BK Arena, D’Tigress unleashed their determination to clinch an unprecedented fourth consecutive continental title. They proved their mettle by outplaying Egypt with a resounding 83-65 triumph, ensuring their early qualification to the last eight stage of the tournament. The match witnessed D’Tigress taking control from the outset, gaining an 18-10 lead in the first quarter and extending it further in the second quarter, finishing with a commanding 24-13 advantage. However, the third quarter saw Egypt make a valiant effort to narrow the gap, securing a 19-14 win in that period. As the tension escalated in the fourth quarter, the North Africans fought desperately to regain ground. Yet, D’Tigress exhibited unwavering determination, maintaining their composure and sealing the game with a strong finish. The final quarter ended with a score of 27-23 in favor of D’Tigress, sealing their comprehensive victory at 83-65. The standout performance came from Amy Okonkwo, who led the scoring with an impressive 29 points and 13 rebounds, steering D’Tigress to their well-deserved triumph and securing their spot in the quarterfinals. Murjanatu Musa also shone brightly with her valuable 18-point contribution, while Nicole Enabosi added 10 points to her name, registering double figures. This win marks Nigeria’s third consecutive victory over Egypt, following their previous triumphs in 2015 and 2017. The Nigerian team’s dominant performance has undoubtedly solidified their reputation as a formidable force in women’s basketball in Africa. With Nigeria safely advancing to the quarterfinals, Egypt and DR Congo will now face a challenging qualifying round to determine if they can join Nigeria in the next stage or head back home.

CBN, CBE collaborate to establish Nigeria-Egypt FinTech Bridge

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish a Nigeria-Egypt FinTech Bridge. The signing ceremony, which took place at the Seamless North Africa 2023 conference at the Egypt International Exhibition Center, Cairo, on July 17 – 18, 2023, comes after a series of engagements on issues around payment systems, financial technology, and financial inclusion in Africa. Speaking at the event, the CBN Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability, Mrs. Aishah Ahmad, who signed on behalf of the CBN, said that the Bank was extremely excited by the partnership with the Central Bank of Egypt, which followed several months of engagement on payments, fintech and financial inclusion. “We look forward to cultivating an innovative space for fintech startups and entrepreneurs in Egypt and Nigeria to accelerate financial inclusion, deepen our payment systems and drive economic growth across the African Continent,” Mrs. Ahmad declared. Also speaking, the Deputy Governor of the Bank of Egypt, Mr. Rami Aboulnaga, commended the MOU and expressed optimism that the partnership would yield the desired expectation. The groundbreaking partnership between the apex banks of the two largest economies in Africa encompasses a broad range of collaborative initiatives, including joint regulatory innovation projects, coordinated licensing and supervisory frameworks, information sharing, fintech cross referrals and talent development. The conference was hosted by the Central Bank of Egypt and had in attendance over 4,000 policymakers, payment service providers, financial institutions and technology startups from Egypt, Nigeria and across the African continent.