Women’s football in Africa is growing steadily as better structures, exposure and development programmes take shape, according to FIFA Women’s Football Development Lead for Africa Doreen Nabwire.
She made the remarks during the FUFA Women Super League Commercial Strategy launch at Imperial Royale Hotel.
“The women’s game has come a very long way, especially in this continent and this region. In previous generations, we had massive potential across East Africa, but due to lack of structures, opportunities and exposure, we were not able to showcase what the region had to offer,” she said.
Nabwire linked recent progress to the impact of global tournaments such as the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 and the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023, which she said accelerated investment and visibility for the women’s game.
“Following the success of the 2019 and 2023 World Cups, women’s football is slowly gaining momentum across the world, this region and the continent itself has not been left behind,” she noted.
She said FIFA responded with structured development programmes that cover grassroots participation, league growth and national team support.
“After the two successful World Cups, FIFA came up with development programmes to address different aspects of the game, from grassroots all the way to national teams,” she said.
Nabwire also highlighted leadership development as a priority.
“We are also building capacity for women in football leadership and ensuring that women have voices on decision-making bodies that will champion the women’s game,” she added.
She stressed that sustained growth will depend on linking grassroots participation with elite competition and stronger governance structures to secure long term progress.
