Nigeria will host the 2027 Africa Running Conference in Abuja, retaining the hosting rights of the continental event after successfully staging its inaugural edition in Lagos in 2026, Saturday PUNCH reports.
Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, confirmed the development to The PUNCH on Friday following the conclusion of the maiden conference at the Eko Hotel. He described the retention as part of a broader strategic reset of the country’s sports sector.
Dikko explained that hosting major international events forms a deliberate pillar of the commission’s long-term vision to reposition Nigerian sport.
He said the success of the Lagos edition made the decision to retain the rights straightforward, noting that the next edition had already been secured.
“The recent conference has been very successful, and plans for the 2027 edition have already been offered without hesitation. We are confident it will expand and become even greater for Africa,” he told our correspondent.
He added that the conversations and technical engagements at the conference would strengthen road running and sports development across the country.
“We are particularly focused on road running because we believe Nigeria has the capacity, if we are intentional and deliberate, to excel,” Dikko stated.
The NSC chairman further linked the conference to wider economic and infrastructure ambitions within the sports sector. He argued that hosting international events sustains infrastructure, stimulates the sports economy and creates employment opportunities. According to him, sports initiatives in 2025 alone induced 140,000 jobs, while the conference itself generated short-term economic activity for participants and service providers.
Responding to earlier criticism that the commission’s plans were merely rhetorical, Dikko pointed to growing federal recognition of the sector.
“Last Friday, exactly a week ago, President Bola Tinubu personally tweeted the achievements of the sports sector in 2025. Such recognition is unprecedented in any other sector,” he said, describing it as evidence that reforms are yielding tangible results.
The Africa Running Conference 2026 brought together global athletics leaders, policymakers and race organisers for two days of technical workshops and high-level sessions at the Eko Hotel in Lagos on February 12 and 13, ahead of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon on February 14 (today).
The event sought to define a commercially viable and globally aligned future for road running in Africa, focusing on sustainability, innovation and grassroots expansion. Among the speakers at the inaugural edition were former marathon world record holder Paul Tergat, World Athletics Head of Running Alessio Punzi, Vice President of Kenya Athletics Fatma Abdal Amale, and World Athletics Vice President and Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei.
With stakeholders from across Africa and beyond in attendance, the conference served as a platform for strategic knowledge sharing and collaboration aimed at aligning African road running with global best practices.
The successful staging of the first edition in Lagos paved the way for Nigeria to retain hosting rights, with Abuja now set to stage the 2027 conference.
