The Anambra State Government says it will soon commence the mandatory registration and data capture of all sports instructors, sports officers and sports administrators operating across the state.
The Commissioner for Youth Development and Sports, Mr. Patrick Agha Mba, announced this on Thursday at the Ministry’s Conference Room in Awka.
Agha Mba said the initiative was part of the state government’s efforts to strengthen grassroots sports development and ensure that qualified and competent personnel are responsible for training and managing young athletes.
He said that under the leadership of Governor Chukwuma Soludo, sports had been repositioned beyond recreation to serve as a tool for youth empowerment, job creation, talent discovery, grassroots sports development and social cohesion, in line with the administration’s manifesto.
“To achieve this lofty vision, we must have a solid foundation. You cannot have a thriving sports ecosystem without competent, trained and certified manpower at the grassroots,” he said.
The commissioner disclosed that the ministry had constituted a committee to “sanitise, structure and strengthen sports development at the base.”
According to him, the ministry’s checks revealed that some individuals operating as sports instructors, officers and administrators in schools, academies, clubs and communities were not formally registered with the ministry and lacked standardised knowledge of modern sports fundamentals, safety, first aid, talent management and sports ethics.
He explained that the registration database would enable the government to properly plan, support and engage sports personnel for state and national programmes.
Agha Mba said registration forms would be available from Monday, September 28, 2026, at the Ministry of Education, Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB), Post-Primary Schools Service Commission (PPSSC), sports associations, managers of state-owned stadia and desk officers of the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports in all the 21 local government areas.
He added that all registered personnel would undergo a comprehensive retraining workshop comprising two major components.
The first component, he said, would cover the general fundamentals of sports, including sports administration, coaching principles, safety, anti-doping and safeguarding.
The second would consist of specialised technical sessions based on participants’ respective sporting disciplines.
“At the end of this workshop, every participant will be duly certified by the Anambra State Ministry of Youth Development and Sports. Going forward, this certificate will be a basic requirement for anyone who wishes to practise as a sports instructor or administrator in any public institution or sports facility in the state,” he said.
The commissioner explained that the training would be conducted at zonal levels to ensure accessibility.
The Anambra Central Senatorial Zone will hold its training in Awka, Anambra North in Onitsha, while Anambra South will host its session in Aguata.
Agha Mba urged sports instructors in primary and secondary schools, private academies, fitness centres, community clubs and local government areas to take advantage of the registration exercise.
“We’re going to make sure that after every exercise, only certified personnel are allowed to train our young people. The safety and future of our young people are paramount,” he said.
He stressed that strengthening grassroots sports manpower was essential to achieving the administration’s objectives in the sector.
“For the Solution Agenda to succeed in sports, we must get it right at the grassroots. Let’s ensure that we comply accordingly,” he added.
