Certification Of Sports Instructors, Others To Commence September 28 In Anambra – Agha Mba
By Joseph Egbeocha|Ichie Times
The Anambra State Ministry of Youth Development and Sports has announced plans to commence statewide data capturing and registration, retraining and certification of sports instructors, officers and administrators in the state.
This follows the discovery by the Ministry that many individuals parading as sports instructors, sports officers and administrators in schools, academies, clubs and communities across the state are operating without any formal registration and standardized knowledge of modern fundamentals of sports, sports safety, first aid, talent management and sports ethics.
Announcing the plans at a press conference in Awka, the Commissioner for Youth Development and Sports, Patrick Agha Mba, explained that, with effect from Monday, 28th September 2026, registration forms will be available for collection at no cost to interested persons.
He said the forms will be available at the Ministry of Education, ASUBEB, PPSSC, sports associations, managers of the various state-owned stadiums, and the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports desk offices in all 21 local government areas of the state, urging applicants to complete and submit the forms at the point of collection.
Continuing, the Youth Development and Sports Commissioner said that all registered sports personnel will undergo a mandatory comprehensive retraining workshop that will have two components: “general fundamentals of sports” – including sports administration, coaching principles, safety, anti-doping and safeguarding, and “specialized technical sessions” – according to their various sports inclinations.
To ensure that no one is left behind, the Commissioner explained that the retraining workshop will be held at Zonal levels, with Anambra Central Senatorial holding theirs in Awka, Anambra North in Onitsha, and Anambra South in Aguata.
He further announced that at the end of the workshop, every participant will be duly certified by the ministry, adding that going forward, the certificate will be a basic requirement for anyone who wishes to practice as a sports instructor or administrator in any public institution or any sports facility in the Anambra.
Commissioner Agha Mba called on all sports instructors in private and government-owned primary and secondary schools, private academies, fitness centres, community clubs and local governments to take advantage of the window to get registered, saying that the ministry will ensure that after the exercise, only certified personnel are allowed to train young people in sports in the state.
He noted that under the leadership of Governor Chukwuma Soludo, sports has been repositioned not just as recreation, but as a critical tool for youth empowerment, job creation, talent discovery, grassroots sports ecosystem and social cohesion.
