Basketball in Africa

Members from the East and Central Africa Inter City basketball Committee held a lengthy meeting with Somali basketball Federation vice president for development and technical affairs Mrs Hawa Sheik Ahmed Taako and during the meeting both sides discussed issues relating promotion of basketball in the war-ravaged country plus Somalia's stronger representation in this year's inter cities competition to be held in Dar Es Salaam.

The meeting which took place in London over the weekend was arranged by former Somali basketball Federation Secretary General and current Inter-city committee media and marketing commissioner Engineer Bana Abdalla Ali who is respected in the country as the man who helped the 'restoration' of Somalia's representation in African basketball committees after 20 years of absence.

Somali basketball Federation vice president for development and technical affairs, the iron lady of Somali basketball Mrs. Hawa Sheik Ahmed Taako who first addressed at the meeting said she was very happy to see such high profile individuals from both FIBA Africa zone 5 and Inter-city and committee and she outlined the current situation of Somali basketball federation and its strategy of the promotion of basketball in the war-devastated country.

"Somalia was once well known for its basketball power in Africa and after decades of civil wars we are now back as you might have witnessed the exhibition of our national team in the last FIBA Africa Zone 5 competition, but we still need the international assistance since we are recovering from the ruins caused by the decades-long civil wars in the country" The Somali basketball iron lady told the meeting over the weekend.

The Somali basketball Federation vice president said that cities in her country were fully prepared for the participation in the next inter-City games to be held in the Tanzanian capital Dar Es Salaam in May this year. She praised the inter city committee for the step which she said was encouraging the promotion of basketball in cities across the east and central Africa region.

For his part, Inter City committee member and FIBA Africa commissioner Mr. Agina Wesonga (Kenya) said that his committee was fully aware of the basketball growth in Somalia adding that Somalia was a key member nation in African basketball family and they were happy with the return of peace and the promotion of basketball power in Somalia after decades of civil wars.

"I praise Mr. Bana Abdalla Ali for helping me to know more about basketball in Somalia and on the behalf of the inter-city committee I announce that we are fully prepared to help Somalia as much as we can--the Vice presidents Mrs. Hawa invited me to Somalia and I promise to be in Mogadishu as soon as possible to see myself the continuation of the development on the ground" Mr. Agina Wesonga told the meeting over the weekend.