ITF

32 Summer 2021 ITF World in terms of sport it is well-stocked with athletics champions. Athletics is the most popular sport in the region by some distance. In terms of popularity, tennis is probably not within the top three sports in any of my countries. However, through the hard work and commitment of many people, tennis is becoming one of the region's leading sports in terms of performance, with Burundi's Sada Nahimana a shining light. The performance side of things was just starting to take off when I was appointed ITF Development Officer in April 2011, thanks in no small part to the programmes initiated by my predecessor Prince Madema. My main aim back then was just to continue the momentum and, a little over a decade later, East and Central Africa is now one of Africa's most successful regions for producing performance players. In the last 15 years, for instance, 11 players from East and Central Africa – Nahimana, Hassan Ndayishimiye, Guy Orly Iradukunda and Aisha Niyonkuru (Burundi), Celestin Nkoueleue (Cameroon), Ella Celestine Avomo (Gabon), Christian Vitulli, Ismael Changawa Ruwa and Agella Okutoyi (Kenya), Duncan Mugabe (Uganda) and Daniel Bushamuka (Congo, Democratic Republic) – have held a top 150 junior ranking. Equally, the region is now widely recognised as having good tennis administration and in Tennis Kenya we have one of the best national associations across the entire continent in terms of structure and direction. Tennis Kenya has highly qualified leadership at the top of the organisation and they know the route they want and need to take. Whereas Sada is an example to others on the court, Tennis Kenya is an example for others to follow off it. Tennis Kenya is also an organisation which reflects and showcases the values and principles of the ITF's Advantage All campaign, gender equality programmes and women in leadership initiatives, although there are certainly others in the region which do likewise. Wanjiru Mbugua-Karani is the Secretary General at Tennis Kenya, while 50 per cent of the organisation's board members are female. Fatime Kante, meanwhile, is President of the Seychelles Tennis Association, while Maureen Payet is the organisation's Secretary General. There is still work to do in this area but there are positive steps being taken in my region and we are proud of this. There is also a lot of excitement in terms of how ITF World Tennis Number can benefit nations. There are not huge numbers of recreational and social players, but all national associations have signed up to the project and are working on their data integration. I am now going to guide you through a number of countries in my region and provide a snapshot of the development and participation picture there. Sit back and enjoy. During 2021, there has been an increased focus upon participation as the ITF continues its drive to broaden opportunity, support talent and work towards achieving an ambitious target of 120 million – 30 million more – playing tennis globally by 2030. As the year unfolds, ITFWorld will continue to circumnavigate the globe and report on what is happening throughout its various regions. In the latest in this series, we catch up with Thierry Ntwali, the ITF's Development Officer for East and Central Africa, as he provides an overview of participation in his region before acting as our guide as we traverse part of a vast and varied continent. My region, particularly the East Africa part, is known for its magnificent and stunning natural features, including Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, while the River Nile has its source in Lake Nyanza – the biggest lake in Africa. It is also renowned for wildlife and safaris, and LO O K FO R C L I C K FO R M O R E C O N T E N T i DEVELOPMENT ITFWorld takes a trip around East and Central Africa, looking at development and participation across the region, and reports on activity in places such as Rwanda, Seychelles and Cameroon NATURE NURTURE & NATURE NURTURE NATURE NURTURE Thierry Ntwali, the ITF's Development Officer for East and Central Africa " "

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