Rugby Africa Approves Strategic Partnership With African Union Sports Council, Opening Pathways To Regional and Continental Competitions

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Rugby Africa, the governing body for rugby union across the continent, has approved plans to establish a strategic partnership with the African Union Sports Council (AUSC), alongside an application to join its Southern Africa regional structure, AUSC Region 5.

The decision, approved by the Rugby Africa Executive Committee (EXCO) and supported by World Rugby, marks an important step towards integrating rugby into Africa's wider sports development system and creating new opportunities for African players, particularly young athletes, to compete in regional and continental multi-sport competitions.

The African Union Sports Council coordinates sports development across African Union member states and oversees the organisation of the African Games. Through five geographical regions, it brings countries and sporting organisations together to develop sporting programmes, competitions and cooperation between governments and sports federations.

For Rugby Africa, establishing a formal relationship with the AUSC provides an opportunity to engage more closely with these structures and advocate for rugby's inclusion in wider African sporting programmes. The initiative also provides an opportunity to advocate for greater participation in girls' and women's rugby at regional youth level.

At regional level, the focus will begin with AUSC Region 5, which brings together ten Southern African countries: Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Region 5 organises regional sporting programmes and multi-sport competitions, including the Region 5 Youth Games, which bring together young athletes from participating countries across different disciplines.

As part of this process, Nasser Bougja, Vice President of Rugby Africa, chaired the inaugural founding meeting of the Confederation of Southern African Rugby – Region 5 (COSARU-R5), marking the beginning of efforts to establish a formal regional rugby structure aligned with the AUSC.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Bougja highlighted the importance of establishing a rugby region under the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5, emphasizing that Region 5 will serve as a pilot project to pave the way for other Rugby Africa regions under the AUSC.

Beyond competition opportunities, the partnership will provide Rugby Africa and its member unions with a stronger platform to engage with government sports authorities, contribute to regional sports development strategies and explore opportunities for technical cooperation, resources and investment. It also aligns rugby development with wider African priorities, including youth empowerment, gender equality, grassroots participation and the development of sporting talent.

"Our decision to pursue a strategic partnership with the African Union Sports Council is an important step in securing rugby's place in Africa's wider sports development agenda. We want to be part of the structures where decisions are made, and opportunities are created for our athletes. Kenya's historic Youth Olympic Games gold medal in Dakar has just shown the world what African rugby can achieve when talent is given the opportunity to shine. We have the talent across this continent; now we must build the structures, investment and pathways to take African rugby to the world,” adds President of Rugby Africa and Chair of the Regions at World Rugby, Herbert Mensah.

"The AUSC is fully committed to leveraging the transformative power of sport to drive youth empowerment and inclusive participation across Africa. Rugby Africa's application to Region 5 opens an exciting chapter to formalize structured talent pathways and expand competitive opportunities. We are particularly proud to support frameworks that guarantee the integration of young girls into regional youth games, advancing our shared vision for sustainable sports development,” adds Head of the African Union Sports Council, Dr. Decius Chipande.

"This alignment represents months of dedicated framework building. Working closely with the AUSC ensures that our developmental programs match the highest standards of continental sports governance. We are particularly excited about securing a clear youth talent pathway and expanding competitive opportunities for young girls, creating sustainable growth for our member unions within the region,” adds Rugby Africa EXCO Member and leader of the coordination of the partnership, Paulina Lanco.

INTERIM EXECUTIVE OFFICERS – COSARU REGION 5

The following interim officers will oversee the initial work of the regional rugby structure:

1. Mr. Petrie Theron – Chairperson (Namibia Rugby)
2. Col. Farid Pandor – Vice Chairperson (Botswana Rugby)
3. Mr. Fetang Selialia – Secretary General (Lesotho Rugby)
4. Mr. Mark Alexander – Treasurer (South Africa Rugby)
5. Mr. Herbert Mensah – President, Rugby Africa (Non-voting member)
6. Ms. Paulina Lanco – Rugby Africa EXCO Member (Non-voting member)

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