AU Steps Up Fight Against Sport Trafficking in West Africa

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July 24, 2025

On Thursday, 24 July 2025, the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 2, the AU Continental Operational Centre for Combating Irregular Migration, and Mission 89 jointly hosted a high-level virtual webinar titled “Combating Sport Trafficking in West Africa.” The event brought together government ministers, sports commissioners, civil society organisations, migration experts, and international stakeholders to confront the growing threat of sport trafficking, particularly targeting young athletes.

The two-hour webinar was convened in response to alarming findings from Mission 89’s Global Thematic Report on Sport Trafficking, which estimates that 15,000 children are trafficked from West Africa to Europe each year under false promises of professional sports careers.

Opening remarks from H.E. Dr. Lidi Bessi-Kama, Minister of Sports and Leisure, Republic of Togo, and Mr. Maemo Machethe, Director, AU Continental Operational Centre for Combating Irregular Migration, set a firm tone for the discussions.“Sport, universally a symbol of hope, is being unscrupulously hijacked by criminal networks… It is a collective effort from states, federations, and families to build an ethical, safe, and humanely responsible sports ecosystem,” said Dr. Bessi-Kama.

“No African nation remains untouched by this crisis… This is an urgent awakening call for sports federations and stakeholders to recognize and confront this threat within their domain,” added Mr. Machethe.

The webinar featured insights from notable speakers, including Mallam Shehu Dikko (Sports Commission of Nigeria), Ms. Lerina Bright (Executive Director, Mission 89), Dr. Decius Chipande (Coordinator, AU Sports Council), Mr. Geoffrey Wafula Kundu (AU Continental Operational Centre), and Ambassador Olawale Maiyegun (Former AU Director for Social Affairs).

WAFCON-winning professional footballer and Mission 89 ambassador Ms. Ashleigh Plumptre shared a powerful testimony on the vulnerabilities young footballers face“I’m aware that I’m living out the dream of many young girls. I think it’s my responsibility as a professional footballer to talk about this issue of sport trafficking.”

The event concluded with a set of key outcomes:

Concrete commitments from panellists to take specific anti-trafficking actions within six months.
Strengthened partnerships between AU institutions, governments, and civil society.
Greater awareness of applying the AU Migration Policy Framework to sports governance.

Timed ahead of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (30 July), the webinar also announced the upcoming global launch of the “The Line We Don’t Cross” campaign on 30 July 2025 — a joint declaration by Mission 89 and United Through Sports that child exploitation has no place in sport.

Ambassador Olawale Maiyegun closed the session with a strong call for sustained and coordinated action across sectors to eradicate sport trafficking from Africa.

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