Nigeria And Kosovo Seal Strategic Sports Partnership, Propose International Friendly

The National Sports Commission (NSC) has officially sealed a bilateral sporting partnership with the Federal Republic of Kosovo, a strategic move designed to accelerate the Renewed Hope Agenda for the Nigerian sports economy.

As part of the immediate rollout, both nations have commenced planning for an international friendly football match.

The diplomatic pact was cemented in Abuja when Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister, Glauk Konjufca, paid a formal courtesy visit to the NSC Director-General, Bukola Olopade.

During the high-level talks, Konjufca described Nigeria as a leading economic force in Africa, rich in human, capital, and natural resources.

He emphasized that establishing deep diplomatic ties would yield substantial mutual benefits for both republics.

“The Government of Kosovo is very happy to visit Nigeria, and we are very excited with the level of reception we have been accorded by the Nigerian Government. This can only mark the beginning of a long-term, strong diplomatic relationship between our two countries,” Konjufca stated.

The Deputy Prime Minister revealed that before arriving at the NSC, his delegation held productive discussions with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.

The focus then shifted to concrete sporting collaborations, with football and judo emerging as primary targets for joint development.

“We had a fantastic meeting with the SGF, and because we know how big Nigeria is with sports, we decided to come and see how our new relationship with Nigeria can fully be feasible in this area, especially in football and judo, amongst other sports,” Konjufca explained.

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“This is why we are proposing a friendly match between the Nigeria national team and the Kosovo national team, and we are also ready to have capacity building in judo, where we have produced several world and Olympic champions.”

In his response, Olopade commended the Kosovan delegation for their proactive visit, assuring the Deputy Prime Minister that Nigeria is the ideal partner for advancing socio-economic and sporting diplomacy.

“I can tell you that we are super delighted for this honour by Kosovo, and we are ready for every form of sporting collaboration that will mutually benefit both countries,” the NSC boss remarked.

“At the Sports Commission, through the mandate given to us by the President, we are building an ecosystem that is economically friendly for sports, and this collaboration with Kosovo will further boost that drive.”