Pan-African School Games Coming Back to Lagos

The second edition of the Pan-African School Games will take place in Lagos from October 16 to 18 at James Hope College, Lekki, the organisers have confirmed.

The event used to be called the Africa School Games. It has a new name to show a wider vision for the continent.

Organisers Dr Seun Akinbohun, Dr Busola Tejumola and Aderoju Ope-Ajayi said the focus of the competition is to create chances in academics and sports for young Africans, not just medals and trophies.

The first edition had 11 schools and over 300 student-athletes. This year, more schools are expected to join, with a bigger focus on the quality of competition and the overall experience for participants.

The organisers said the games aim to unite young people from all over Africa through sports, education, and cultural exchange. They also want to create pathways for athletes to get scholarships and other development chances.

“The change reflects the ambition and direction of the competition. From the start, our vision has been bigger than just a Lagos or Nigerian school sports event. We want to build a platform that brings young people together across Africa through sports, education and cultural exchange,” the organisers explained.

“Our goal is to increase participation while keeping the quality of competition and the overall athlete experience high. We don’t want a student to just participate, win a medal and go home,” they said.

“We want to ensure outstanding young athletes are seen, evaluated, and connected to opportunities that will help them grow academically and athletically.”

The Lagos State Government and its Sports Commission have supported this initiative. Corporate partners like Prime Atlantic, Mikano Changan, UAC Foods, Nigerian Exchange, and Flutterwave have also joined in.

“Lagos has been a key starting point because it has the infrastructure and environment needed to build the competition. But we don’t want the Games to be just for Lagos.”

Schools from Kenya and Ghana are expected to join in the 2027 edition. This is part of plans to expand the competition beyond Nigeria and make it a true continental platform.

The organisers also shared that partnerships with groups like Plumptre Advisory have helped them connect with well-known international institutions. These include McCallie School in the United States, and Bethany School, Buckswood School, and Roedean School in the United Kingdom.