The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Zone West B has officially launched its 2026 development programmes with a U-17 Coaches’ Zonal Seminar currently holding in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The three-day seminar, running from February 8 to 10, has brought together 14 youth coaches drawn from seven West African federations Nigeria, Togo, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Niger in a strategic capacity-building initiative aimed at strengthening grassroots football development in the region.
The programme focuses on key areas critical to modern football development, including contemporary training methodologies, tactical education and game intelligence, mental preparation, refereeing fundamentals, and CAF licensing frameworks.
According to organisers, the seminar is designed to harmonise coaching standards across the zone and build a unified technical philosophy for youth development, ensuring that young talents emerging from West Africa are better prepared for elite football pathways.
CAF Zone West B officials described the seminar as a strategic investment in the future of West African football, noting that strengthening coaches at the U-17 level is central to producing technically sound, tactically intelligent, and mentally resilient players for the next generation.
The Abidjan seminar marks the first major technical development activity of CAF Zone West B for 2026, setting the tone for a structured, long-term approach to youth football growth across the sub-region.
