As delegates from up to 54 African nations head to Egypt for the 2025 Confédération Africaine de Cyclisme (“CAC”) congress this weekend, is it time for a change at the top….

CAC is the over-arching regional federation of all African nations involved in bike racing. It represents the UCI at the Africa level.

CAC History and Current Composition

Twenty years ago, in 2005, Dr Mohamed Wagih Azzam from Egypt was voted as CAC President. He has won every election for this post since then. Apart from a few changes due to Federation presidents in Rwanda and South Africa having to resign due to corruption issues, the CAC Management Committee has also remained pretty much the same for many years.

The current CAC Management Committee consists of 10 representatives: They are: Danilo Correira (Mozambique), Julius Mwangi* (Kenya), Lahcen Kharsi (Morocco), Michel Thioub (Senegal), Bashir Mohammed (Nigeria), Aminata Mara (Guinea), Yao Jean-Marie Allah-Kouame (Ivory Coast), Salma Amarcheine (Mauritania), Andrew Mkwezalamba (Burundi) and Linda Warren (Zimbabwe). (* Julius Mwangi passed away in December 2024.)

If we look at the current UCI Africa Tour Nations rankings (26 nations ranked), the highest ranked nation represented on the CAC Management Committee is Morocco (5th), followed by Zimbabwe (13th), Egypt (18th), Ivory Coast (20th), Kenya (22nd), Nigeria (26th). Burundi, Guinea, Mauritania, Mozambique, Senegal are all currently unranked in UCI cycling.

How is is possible that African cycling can be managed by a President and a Management Committee for this long, when this committee represents only one nation in the top 10 of African cycling, and only three in the top 20?

Where are the Top Points Nations?

Surely some of the most successful, and fast-growing nations in African cycling should be setting the agenda and running cycling? It feels like a lost opportunity that the big nations of Eritrea, South Africa, Mauritius and Algeria are not represented at all – or even fast growing nations like Benin and Uganda – have no influence over CAC’s policies, agenda or importantly, budget.

However maybe this is the challenge. These delegates all like their perks. Flying to Switzerland for UCI meetings, they like trips to the Congress. They turn up at the World Championships with their VIP access. Sometimes even attending the African Continental Championships, many times in both cases with zero athletes present… There is no reason for the elected officials to rock the boat, they all have a good deal going.

And with the CAC President representing the largest voting block in the overall UCI Presidential elections (54 votes), there is no way the UCI are going to seek change or challenge the performance of CAC either.

Current Candidates

On February 16th, the CAC elections will take place again. Even though there had been a lot of noise about change and refreshing the leadership in the year that Africa hosts the UCI World Cycling Championships, the three candidates for President are: the incumbent Wagih Azzam, Mohammed Baadae Sahnoon (Ghana) and Yao Allah-Kouame (Ivory Coast).

Ghana currently ranks 24th of 26 ranked African nations, Ivory Coast are 20th. Egypt are 18th. Egypt, Ghana and Ivory Coast have not produced a single male or female rider to make it to World Tour, Pro Continental or Continental level between them. None has ever had a Continental team registered in their country. They have never provided a rider who has won an elite medal at the African Continental Championships. Also, none of these have any riders in their pipeline to change any of these facts at the World Championships in September. How is is possible that these are the leadership candidates for the next 4-5 years?

Why New Leadership is Critical

We have no agenda in this discussion apart from wanting the best for young African male and female athletes. These athletes need to be understood and represented at their Federation and regional level by folk who actually understand cycling. If the Federations to whom UCI send equipment, budget, give training opportunities to for the World Cycling Centres in South Africa and Switzerland, are not delivering a healthy stream of athletes, local races, national teams to race in African races, adoption of the latest technologies and techniques (Zwift for example) because they simply don’t understand them, is it not time for wholesale change?

There are now riders from various countries who have raced at World Tour or Pro Continental level who should be brought into the fold, to represent African cycling at the highest level of management as they did in the sport, to whom the UCI and CAC should be looking to reset, refresh and recharge African cycling, especially in this period after Africa (hopefully) hosts the World’s best cyclists in September 2025.

Individuals like Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (sorry to call you out Ashleigh!) would truly bring the might of respect, experience, brand and media awareness to a role like President of CAC. Is that not exactly what the role is for? Looking at the CAC website (which has not been updated since July 2021) and seeing blank pages under their banner tabs of ‘Events’ and ‘Development’ we think change is well overdue.

We shall report on the outcome of the elections on the 16th. However we are not filled with hope or excitement based on the shortlist…