The President of the Ghana Rowing and Canoeing Federation, Kamal Sulley, has been elected Vice-President of the Confederation of African Canoeing (CAC) at the elective congress held on the fringes of the 2025 African Canoeing Championships in Angola last weekend.
A respected international canoeing official and board member of the International Canoeing Federation, Sulley overcame competition from Ahmed Mahamoud of Tunisia to seal his elevation as one of four Vice-Presidents to São Tomé and Príncipe's João Costa, who was re-elected President of the continental body for a three-year mandate.
Sulley, Said Mohammud of Somalia, Egypt's Ahmed Kamel and Nigerian Olubunmi Ola-Oluode, as well as Secretary-General Ahmed Abdoulkader of Djibouti, will assist Mr Costa on the CAC Executive Committee spanning 2025-28.
The congress also unanimously vetoed to fully support Angola's bid to host the 2027 Canoeing World Cup, but, for Alhaji Sulley, the remarkable milestone as the first-ever Ghanaian to be elected to serve on the CAC board is one he will grab with both hands as it offers him the platform to raise the standards of the sport in Ghana and the continent at large.
“In Africa, most federations lack the Olympic standard equipment; it's a very worrying situation that puts most African federations far behind in development. It makes it almost impossible for most African federations to compete on the international level," Sulley told the Daily Graphic from Angola.
"In the next four years, the narratives will change. In collaboration with the International Canoeing Federation, we shall embark on a massive equipment donation to smaller federations. We shall put our athletes first at all times. All that the athletes need is equipment to be able to compete," he added.
"I sold my vision to the delegates and assured them that I will always be the mouthpiece of our athletes.
"The message resonated with the delegates and they voted for me massively. I shall not take the said endorsement lightly; I will do everything possible to protect the interests of the athletes," he said.
Meanwhile, Ghana grabbed two bronze medals through Emmanuel Okronipah and Maxwell Adu in the C2 Junior Men 500 metres race of the African Canoeing Championships, which ended in Luanda last Sunday, a milestone that reaffirms the bright future of Ghana's canoeing athletes.
