Ashifat Suleiman, technical director of Kwara United, has spoken warmly about the AMAPRO Africa Development Programme, saying it gave sports professionals in Nigeria practical tools to raise the standard of administration across the sector.
Want our football coverage to show up first?
Add FootballInNigeria as a preferred source and our stories get a "Preferred" badge in your Google Top Stories, AI Overviews, and AI Mode results.
Kwara United’s technical director, Ashifat Suleiman, has praised the AMAPRO Africa Development Programme as a valuable platform for building managerial capacity among Nigerian football and sports professionals, saying the initiative brought genuine and measurable value to everyone who attended.
The programme, which was held on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at the Ilorin Innovation Hub in Kwara State, was organised under the theme “Project Management and Leadership Skills in Modern Sports Ecosystem.” It was run in partnership with the Project Management Institute (PMI) Nigeria and drew more than 100 participants, both in-person and virtually. Coaches, club owners, sports administrators, and journalists were all represented at the event, according to FootballInNigeria.com.ng.
Suleiman, speaking after the event, said the session reinforced his belief that learning must be an ongoing process. “Knowledge is a continuous process. This programme has helped to improve our managerial skills. It is a very good programme,” he said, adding that the event was impactful and directly useful for professional development.
What the Masterclass Covered
One of the lead facilitators, Anthony Dele Daniel, who spoke virtually, told participants that the foundation of every successful project lies in clearly defining its scope, objectives, deliverables, timelines, and milestones from the outset. He stressed that administrators must avoid spending outside defined boundaries and must monitor progress continuously to catch problems early and adjust course before they escalate.
Daniel’s practical framework centered on maintaining clear communication channels among all stakeholders throughout the lifecycle of any sporting event or project. His argument was simple structure, not improvisation, is what separates well run sporting organisations from those that consistently underperform. Clubs looking to channel that same disciplined approach into matchday betting can explore the latest Bet9ja promotion code for the upcoming NPFL season.
A second facilitator, Adekemi Oyewusi, pressed home the need for sports professionals across Nigeria and the continent to integrate project management methodologies and leadership frameworks into their day to day work. Her session drew particular attention to the pace of change in the sports ecosystem and the need for administrators to keep their skills current rather than relying on outdated models.
AMAPRO’s Broader Vision for Nigerian Sports
The brain behind the programme, Shogo Shodunnke, explained that AMAPRO Africa was founded with a clear purpose to improve leadership capacity and deepen knowledge within Africa’s sports ecosystem so that Nigerian and African institutions can compete with the most developed sports industries across the world. Shodunnke said that a structured sports sector built on sound project management principles would eventually create economic value for communities well beyond the stadium. New Bet9ja users interested in backing Nigerian clubs this season can get started with the Bet9ja’s current promo code before the new campaign begins.
Certificates of participation were issued to all attendees at the close of the training. The PMI Nigeria partnership also opened pathways for interested participants to pursue formal PMI memberships and professional certifications, giving the programme a practical career dimension beyond the immediate learning experience.
The event formed part of a wider push by AMAPRO to use workshops and international conferences as tools for transforming how sports are organised and administered in Nigeria. The organisation also runs an annual football championship in Ilorin designed to close the gap between professional and amateur football and fast track player development, with the 2026 edition scheduled for July. Supporters following the club scene who want a guide to the top betting options available can check Bet9ja’s registration page to sign up ahead of the new season’s action.
Why It Matters for Kwara United
For Kwara United, this kind of off-season engagement carries real weight. The Harmony Boys survived a turbulent 2025/26 NPFL campaign, finishing 16th and only escaping relegation on the final day of the season. The club also served a home ban and paid heavy fines after crowd violence during a league match. Investment in administrative and managerial education is one of the building blocks that clubs in this position need to put behind them if they are to stabilise and grow.
Suleiman’s attendance at the AMAPRO programme signals that the technical leadership at Kwara United is looking beyond the pitch for answers, which is exactly the kind of thinking that Nigerian football needs more of at every level of the game.
📌 Did You Know?
- Kwara United won their first ever President Federation Cup title in June 2025, defeating Abakaliki FC in the final, which also earned them a place in the 2025/26 CAF Confederation Cup.
- The AMAPRO Africa Development Programme is not only a training initiative: the organisation also runs an annual football championship in Ilorin each July aimed at bridging the gap between amateur and professional football in Kwara State.
- PMI Nigeria, the Project Management Institute’s Nigerian chapter, formally partnered with AMAPRO through its PMWB initiative, creating a clear pathway for sports professionals to gain globally recognised PMI certifications and memberships.
- Kwara United were docked three points and fined N9 million by the NPFL in February 2026 following violent scenes at their home match against Rivers United, which also resulted in the club being banished from their Ilorin ground for the remainder of the season.
- The Ilorin Innovation Hub, which hosted the AMAPRO masterclass, has emerged as one of the North-Central region’s growing hubs for technology, education, and capacity-building events beyond the traditional focus on agriculture and commerce.
- Kwara United’s roots stretch back to 1974, when the club began life as the Kwara State Water Corporation Football Club, serving as an in-house team for corporation staff before growing into a fully competitive outfit.
- The 2026 AMAPRO Football Championship in Ilorin, set for July 6 to July 12, will feature 16 clubs including defending champions House of Prayers Football Academy, making it one of the flagship grassroots competitions in the state.
