The 39th African Women’s Volleyball Inter-Cub Championship, held in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, from April 1 to April 13, 2025, concluded with Zamalek Sporting Club of Egypt claiming the championship title after defeating their compatriots, Ahly. 

Following the event, the President and officials of the Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) expressed their appreciation for Nigeria's hospitality and the organizational efforts facilitated by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), highlighting that Nigeria, along with Africa, is well-prepared to host international sporting events.

CAVB President Bouchra Hajij conveyed her satisfaction with Nigeria's successful hosting of the tournament, particularly in terms of organization and security. 

As the first vice president of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), Hajij emphasized Nigeria's capability to host such significant competitions, labeling it a safe environment for international events.

She specifically commended the Nigeria Customs Service for their role in organizing a highly successful championship, noting the state-of-the-art facilities that allowed participating teams to showcase their talents in a supportive atmosphere.

"We have hundreds of countries from all over the world following this event online. Nigeria has proven to all continents that it is a safe nation equipped with excellent facilities. We welcomed 16 teams from across Africa, and the infrastructure provided was commendable. I hope that in the coming years, we can host another African championship, whether in beach volleyball or indoor."

"I would also like to congratulate the Customs association for their outstanding efforts in this event. My gratitude extends to the Nigeria Olympic Committee for their support in making this championship a success. Additionally, I must acknowledge the media, as the growth of any sport is significantly enhanced by their presence. Thank you very much for your contributions."

Also in separate interviews with Sporting Tribune, Bai Dodou Jallow, Paul Bitok, Fauzi Boni Nadege and Japier Mhango, President, The Gambia Volleyball Federation, deputy President, Kenya Volleyball Federation, medical delegate, Benin Republic and a delegate from Malawi respectively said Nigeria has made black Africans proud as they gave kudos to Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu for being the grand patron of the competition and championing women’s cause and to the Comptroller General Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and the President, Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF), Musa Nimrod and other stakeholders for organizing a top-shelf competition.

According to Dodou Jallow, “With what we’ve seen from the Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF) and the Customs who are the host of this competition with 16 teams across Africa, it’s been great, it’s been a wonderful competition at the highest level for women in Africa. I thank the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), the President of NVBF, for taking the bold initiative to organize this competition.

“The competition has been consistently hosted by North Africans and this time, it is the West of Africa. The environment provided by the Nigerian Customs and the NVBF was excellent. I think with what I’ve seen in terms of organization and the facilities, Africa can compete at the big level in women’s volleyball. I want to call on the private sector to support volleyball and help Nigeria to continue to host many continental competitions.

For Bitok, who doubles as the Technical Director, Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Volleyball Club while revealing that his club also plan to host the competition in 2026 as they we’ve learnt a lot from Nigeria, “Nigeria did well by hosting this competition. The organization was fantastic. I also thank the first lady of Nigeria (Oluremi Tinubu) for accepting to be the patron of women volleyball in Africa. This is a great tournament I’ve not seen recently. I’ve been in this competition for more than 20 years and Customs have shown that they have great potential to host big competition beyond Africa.”

In the words of Boni Nadege, “This is the best tournament celebrating women and I want to thank the First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu, in particular and the Nigeria Customs for a well organized championship.

“We’ve learnt a lot from this. Black African countries can also host major competition like this to promote the game of volleyball. As you can see, we (black Africans) are not in the finals. We have to work harder to reach that level so that we can also play in the final.”

For Malawian Mhango, he expressed appreciation to the Nigerian government and the people for their hospitality during their stay for the two-week competition.

“Our stay has been exceptional. We have been well taken care of and so far so good, we’re very happy. This is a well organized tournament and the teams also played well.