CAF and CANAL+ conclude transformative Young Reporters Internship empowering Africa’s future storytellers

The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) is pleased to announce the successful conclusion of the Young Reporters Internship under the CAF African Schools Football Championship – CANAL+ Programme, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between CAF and CANAL+ in January 2025.

This transformative initiative was designed to identify, nurture and empower Africa’s next generation of sports storytellers by providing them with elite professional exposure, high-level training and hands-on experience within one of the world’s leading sports broadcasting institutions and a valued CAF partner.

Hosted at CANAL+ headquarters in Paris, the programme provided four young participants from Accra, Ghana with unprecedented professional exposure, high-level training, and hands-on experience inside one of the world’s leading sports broadcasting institutions and CAF Partners.

Ruth Naa Amanoa Asamoah (25), Belinda Nketia (24), Andrews Sefa Bamfo (23), Emmanuel Andam (25) are the four aspiring journalists selected from a series of practicals overseen by CAF, Canal + and seasoned sports journalists during the CAF African Schools Football Championship Continental Finals held in April this year.

The internship offered intensive professional exposure, combining training in sports commentary, storytelling and match preparation with practical insight into modern broadcast production.

For two participants, Emmanuel Andam and Andrews Sefa Bamfo, the internship also represented their first international travel experience, making the opportunity both professionally and personally significant.

The programme continued with advanced training sessions focusing on professional preparation before major matches. The participants learned how journalists build research files, organise key information, and prepare commentary notes.

The participants also engaged with a senior consultant in football economics and media strategy, who introduced them to the financial structures of global and African football, emphasising the importance of economic literacy in modern sports journalism.

Reflecting on the programme, CAF Member Associations Director, Sarah Mukuna said:

“This initiative speaks directly to the CAF President’s strategic vision of using football as a powerful tool to build the future of Africa. By providing young people with practical skills, international exposure and real professional experience, we are empowering them to confidently tell Africa’s football story in their own voices. Beyond individual development, this programme represents a long-term investment in education, opportunity and sustainable growth across the continent, reinforcing football’s role as a powerful tool for empowerment in Africa.”

For more on the CAF African Schools Football Championship and its youth development programmes, visit www.cafonline.com