2026 African Athletics Championship: Team Nigeria leaves for Ghana

Pius Ayinor

Team Nigeria, comprising a 41-member contingent, will depart Nigeria on Monday for this week’s African Senior Athletics Championships in Accra, Ghana. They are flying out of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, to participate in the six-day event between Tuesday, May 12 and 17, 2026.

Ten technical officials will also be part of the team.

The foreign-based athletes are flying straight to Accra from their bases, and a few of them have been confirmed to have arrived in Ghana on Sunday.

The team is made up of seventeen male and twenty-four female athletes to compete in twenty-six track and field events.

The contingent, a blend of foreign and Nigerian-based athletes, is under the technical guidance of AFN’s Technical Director, Gabriel Okon, and 9 other coaches, including National Head Coach, Solomon Aliyu (Hurdles), Olu Sule – horizontal jumps, Deji Aliu, Sprints, Gabriel Opuana, Throws, Kolawole Adebayo, Vertical jumps, Saheed Akinpelu-L/Sprints, Mavuah Esabunor, S/Sprints, Pade Lawal (female) sprints, and Henry Okorie (Ath Rep).

Top among the Nigerian athletes for the championships are world record holder, Oluwatobi Amusan for 100m Hurdles, sprinter Rosemary Chukwuma, sprinter Favour Ashe, quartermiler Chidi Okezie, Obiageri Amaechi (Discus), and Olatoye Oyesade (Hammer).

The list includes youngsters who made the country proud in the recently concluded World Relays in Gaborone: Godwin Tejiri, Miracle Ezechukwu, Rosemary Nwankwo, and Toheebat Jimoh.

Nigeria is making a resurgence into the middle- and long-distance races, fielding athletes across 800m, 1,500m, 3,000m Steeple Chase and 5,000m.

James Comfort Anietie will compete in the 800m women, rising star Aderonke Akanbi will participate in both 1,500m and 3.000m Steeple Chase for women.

Gang James Boyi, who has dominated Nigeria’s 10km races in the past year, is representing the country in the 1,500m and 5,000m men’s events at the championships.