Dakar Hosts IWG AGM

Wednesday 3 December saw the IWG Secretariat and Global Executive meet at Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor in Dakar, Senegal, for the Annual General Meeting 2025 and Strategic Planning Session.

Generously hosted by La Conférence des Ministres de la Jeunesse et des Sports de la Francophonie (CONFEJES) and its Secretary General Louisetter-Renée Thobi OLY (IWG Global Executive Member), the meeting was an opportunity to not only review progress in 2024-2025 but also plans for the IWG 9th Global Summit on Women & Sport, and particularly the Continental Network Forums on day 3 of the Summit.

The Forums are an opportunity to draw together delegates and speakers from each Continent to focus upon the issues and opportunities that matter most in that region, led by Continental representatives from the IWG and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Annamarie Phelps CBE OLY, Co-Chair of the Global Executive and Chair of the UK IWG Secretariat, reflected afterwards: “Its been great to have the opportunity to bring the Global Executive together to not only review the last 12 months, but also to focus on how we maximise the value of the 9th IWG Global Summit for delegates. Ensuring that we have both a strong summit programme and space within the programme for this truly unique global network of networks to connect and share knowledge is central to the role of IWG. I look forward to welcoming everyone to Birmingham, United Kingdom for the Global Summit next July”.

The trip enabled IWG to spend time with the CONFEJES team (celebrating their 56th anniversary) and hear more about their work including a young Entrepreneurs Fair celebrating the work of 17 young entrepreneurs from 8 countries (Senegal, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Chad, Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Congo and Togo) which we were able to visit, and the Conference Internationale Femme & Sport en Afrique, organised for the first time in Africa by CONFEJES under the patronage of H.E.M. Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar FAYE, President of the Republic of Senegal.

Dakar is host to next year’s Youth Olympic Games from the 31 October – 13 November 2026, the first time an Olympic event will be held in Africa. With thanks to our colleagues at CONFEJES for arranging the visit, we spent the morning with Fédération Sénégalaise de Badminton (FESBAD) observing and talking to young people training to become technical officials in the sport. The programme is a result of collaboration between multiple agencies all playing their part to grow the sport in Senegal and help those taking part as they strive to gain their qualifications which many hope will see them play a role at the Youth Olympic Games next year.

The trip concluded with an invitation to a Gala Dinner hosted by CONFEJES to showcase their work and recognise the role of partners so important to their work.