The President of the Fédération Rwandaise de Football Association, Mr. Fabrice NGOGA SHEMA, has today visited and addressed participants attending the ongoing FIFA Coach Educators Development Pathway Assessment in Kigali.

The week-long program, currently underway in the Rwandan capital, has brought together 19 coach educators and coaches from across Africa in a major step toward strengthening coach education standards on the continent.

Addressing the participants, the FERWAFA President delivered an inspiring message centered on self-belief, ownership of African football development, and breaking long-standing stereotypes about coaching excellence.

“I have a dream that one day, African countries will be coached by Africans, and African children will no longer feel that they must leave the continent to develop their talents. Some countries have already shown that this is possible. Senegal is a good example, and Zambia too, with its legend Kalusha Bwalya in the recent past,” he said.

He encouraged the educators to see themselves as catalysts for change, capable of reshaping perceptions that elite coaching expertise must come from outside Africa. According to Mr. Ngoga, investing in coach educators is fundamental to building sustainable football structures and nurturing local talent from grassroots to elite level.

The assessment brings together participants from nine Member Associations: Rwanda (2), Uganda (2), Kenya (1), Sierra Leone (1), Gambia (3), Eritrea (2), Ethiopia (1), Mauritius (3), and South Sudan (2). The diversity of representation reflects FIFA’s commitment to raising technical standards across the continent.

The FIFA Coach Educators Development Pathway Assessment forms part of a structured global initiative aimed at professionalizing and elevating the role of coach educators within Member Associations. By equipping educators with modern methodologies and standardized frameworks, the program seeks to create a ripple effect that enhances the quality of coaching at every level of the game.