Dr. Taleb Ould Sid’Ahmed Minister of Youth, Sports and Employment of Mauritania, has said his country will court the partnership of international journalists to develop and promote sports in the North-Western African country.
“We have seen the enthusiasm of the entire nation, the government, football federation, media, and general population with regards to the hosting and organization of 2021 Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) Under-20 championship.
“This is a good step to build on and develop sports in Mauritania,” Dr. Ould Sid’ Ahmed told officials of International Sports Press Association (AIPS) led by Mr. Gianni Merlo President, Mr. Mitchell Obi President of AIPS Africa, Mr. William D. Ezah Secretary General of AIPS Africa, Mr. Gouda Abou Elnour a Member of Egypt Sports Press and Dr. Ahmed Hassan President of Mauritania Sports Journalists Association.
The meeting was held via zoom whilst Mr. Ezah and Dr. Hassan Ahmed were present at the conference hall of the ministry.
According to Dr. Ould Sid’ Ahmed, his country was committed to the hosting and organization of the CAF Under-20 Competition since they used just six months to build a brand new stadium in Nouadhibou to host the competition.
“We had a lot of challenges with infrastructure coupled with COVID 19, ahead of this competition, but with commitment from the government and the ministry we were able to build a new stadium for the competition,” he told the AIPS delegation.
Dr. Sid’ Ahmed said there was the need to continue with the commitment towards sports hence they would make efforts to build one more stadium to enable them to host more international events in future.
“Sport is linked to development and promotes unity as well. We are going to use the Under-20 championship as a launch pad to take our development efforts to another level,” he stated.
Mr. Gianni Merlo President of AIPS congratulated Mauritania for their efforts in hosting the competition.
He said the country was on the right path in the development of sports adding that the future was always bright for them.
Mr. Merlo said it was good for the ministry to have a meeting with the leadership of AIPS.
Mr. Mitchell Obi President of AIPS Africa also commended Mauritania for their decision to host international events.
He said the Africa Under-20 tournament would serve as the right platform to develop and promote sports in the country.