New Burkina Faso Basketball Federation President and Board take office

OUAGADOUGOU (Burkina Faso) - The new Burkina Faso Basketball Federation (FEBBA) President and Board have taken office.

Following an election process held in August, which saw former FEBBA former Vice President Souleymane Yameogo win the largest number of votes, the new Board of directors was formally handed the reigns of the country's basketball future in October. 

Yamego replaced Joachim Baky, who led FEBBA for the past 10 years.  The handover ceremony took place at the FEBBA headquarters, at Cite AN III in Ouagadougou.

The new President insists that he would build on the gains to move Burkina Faso basketball to new heights.

He said: "The challenges are immense, multiple and multifaceted."

Yameogo insisted that the key to success lies in the unity of the Burkina Faso basketball family. "This unity is the spirit of collaboration and not of confrontation and the spirit of a team. This is what will guide us to carry out our program project which revolves around five points," he said.

Burkina Faso last featured at FIBA AfroBasket in 2013

With regard to first action plan, Yameogo intends to promote the discipline and especially train players and technical officials. He also emphasised the need to review the general regulations and statutes and improve them where necessary.

Yameogo says that he wants to focus on communication, including the creation of a website to make visible the actions of his mandate. "We want to work with the press so that we feel that basketball is the second sporting community in Burkina," he said.

During the handover ceremony, Baky stated: "After 10 years (2010-2020) at the head of the Federation, it is a feeling of accomplished duty. It's also a joy because for once in basketball, I am handing over without any clashes."

Baky explained that to make basketball the second sporting community in Burkina Faso, you have to do things in a community spirit, in a team spirit.

Baky bequeathed hundreds of balls, jerseys and various materials. The gesture moved Yameogo who appreciated the initiative: "Basketballs don't run around the streets. And when we know that all the teams are not sponsored, this will come to relieve a little bit these clubs."

FIBA