By Samuel Akpan
Nigeria is unleashing a formidable 45-athlete squad 25 women and 20 men at the 2026 CAA Senior Athletics Championships in Accra, Ghana, holding from May 12 to 17, with world record holder Tobi Amusan and three-time African champion Chukwuebuka Enekwechi spearheading the charge.
Fresh off a historic African record in the mixed 4x100m relay at the World Relays, the team arrives brimming with confidence and talent, using the continental showdown as prime preparation for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
The championships will give Nigeria’s rising stars and established leaders a high-stakes platform to measure themselves against the best on the continent.
Favour Ashe, the standout who helped shatter the African record in the mixed relay, will anchor the men’s sprint efforts alongside fellow speedsters Enoch Adegoke, Chidera Ezakor and Tejiri Godwin in the 100m and 4x100m relay.
On the men’s side, Usheorithe Itsekiri, Badmus Gafari and James Taiwo Emmanuel will handle 200m duties, while the 400m and 4x400m relay teams feature a deep lineup including Emmanuel Ifeanyi Ojeli, Samson Nathaniel, Ezekiel Asuquo, Victor Sampson Ime, Chidi Okezie and Sikiru Adeyemi.
The women’s middle-distance and hurdles contingent is equally stacked. Tobi Amusan headlines the 100m hurdles alongside Adaobi Tabugbo and Janet Sunday, while Comfort Anietie James takes the 800m and Aderonke Akanbi lines up for the 1500m and steeplechase.
The 200m will see Jennifer Obi Chukuma and Rosemary Nwankwo, and the 400m/4x400m relay pool includes Patience Okon George, Treasure Okereke, Siviana Ossai, Esther Okon Peter and Jimoh Toheebat.
In the field events, Nigeria will be well represented across jumps and throws. Ruth Usoro and Favour Olise will compete in long jump, Clergy Edet and Treasure Omosivwe in high jump, and Victoria Kparika in javelin.
On the throwing side, Divine Oladipupo and Jessica Oji will handle shot put, Obiageri Ameachi takes discus, and Oyesade Olatoye competes in hammer.
Additional men’s representatives round out the squad with Nnamdi Onwaeze in the 110m hurdles, James Gang in the 1500m and 5000m, and Jami Schlueter in the decathlon.
The full roster reflects the Athletics Federation of Nigeria’s commitment to depth and excellence as the athletes chase continental glory and fine-tune their form ahead of the major international stage in Glasgow.
The Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Senior Championships, widely known as the African Championships in Athletics, has stood as the continent’s premier track-and-field showcase since its debut in 1979.
With stars like Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan and Chukwuebuka Enekwechi now gearing up for the 24th edition in Accra, Ghana —the first time the event will be hosted on Ghanaian soil—the championships continue to celebrate Africa’s depth of sprinting speed, distance endurance, and field-event prowess while mirroring the Olympic calendar in even-numbered years.
The championships launched on August 2–5, 1979, at Stade Demba Diop in Dakar, Senegal, with 39 events, 24 nations, and 251 athletes; Nigeria topped the early medal table.
Participation and scale have grown dramatically: early meets featured around 40 events and 300 athletes, while recent editions boast 45 events, record athlete numbers, and expanded programmes that closely align with global standards (minus the men’s marathon, dropped after 1990, and occasional road events).
Past hosts reflect Africa’s geographic spread and growing infrastructure. Nigeria has hosted twice (Lagos 1989 and Asaba 2018), South Africa three times (Durban 1993 and 2016), and Cameroon twice (Yaoundé 1996 and Douala 2024).
The 22nd edition in Saint Pierre, Mauritius (2022) and 23rd in Douala, Cameroon (2024) underscored the event’s resilience post-pandemic, with the latter seeing over 800 athletes from 54 nations.
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