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MOU between ICC-Africa and NCF | (2008-03-08 )

The Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) executed an MOU with ICC-Africa worth $15,000 to be used

exclusively for the construction of turf wickets on two grounds, a turf net bay on each of the selected

grounds, a motorized roller each and a turf wicket cover for each of the 2 grounds.

The MOU was signed on behalf of the NCF by its President, Mr. Kwesi Sagoe who gave an undertaking

that the funds would be used solely for the purpose it was meant for. The NCF would fund 30% of the

Special Grant as a condition precedent meaning that ICC-Africa would only disburse $10,500. The ICC-

Africa CEO, Mr. Cassim Suliman signed on behalf of the body.

The construction of turf wickets on at least two venues is part of the 6-point agenda pledged by the NCF

President on his appointment in May, 2006 and he has since re-instated the National Club Championships

which had not held in ten years, established corporate governance structures by convening quarterly board

meetings as well as board committee meetings. Furthermore, Annual General Meetings of the federation

have been held in addition to annual audited accounts which have been submitted to ICC-Africa on a timely

basis.

Furthermore the federation has met all the relevant membership criteria required by ICC-Africa, a situation

which has enabled the award of the special grant.

The President has challenged the national teams to match the administrative success by winning

on the field in order to create access to increased funding from the ICC. We have been successful at the

North-West African region where we are currently champions but we must be successful at the World

Cricket League (WCL) where we must move out of the African zone to the Global zone in order to have

access to better funding for further development of our players and infrastructure.

As a measure of support for the progress the federation has made in last eighteen months, the ICC-Africa

CEO has pledged to be present in Nigeria in April when Nigeria hosts the North-West Africa Cricket Championship

and also a formal meeting of the countries in the zone in an attempt to form a governing body for cricket

in the zone. Nigeria has been asked to draft a constitution for consideration at the meeting to be held during

the championships.