Africa Netball’s Leadership Blueprint Takes Centre Stage Ahead of 2026 Africa Netball Cup

As Africa Netball prepares for the 2026 Africa Netball Cup in Kenya this September, attention is turning beyond the action on court to the leadership structures shaping the future of the sport.

At the heart of that drive are Africa Netball Treasurer Martha Lungu-Sichone and Vice President Malebo Raditladi-Nkgakile, two administrators whose careers highlight the growing importance of governance, financial sustainability, athlete welfare and long-term development in African netball.

Their work reflects a changing sporting landscape in which success is no longer measured solely by trophies and participation, but also by the strength of the systems supporting athletes, coaches, officials and national federations.

Lungu-Sichone: Building financial foundations

Lungu-Sichone, who is serving as Africa Netball Treasurer for the 2024–2027 term following her re-election, brings more than four decades of involvement in netball.

Her journey began as a player in the 1990s before she moved into administration. She served as Treasurer of Netball Zambia between 2012 and 2016 and subsequently took on the same role at continental level from 2016 to 2019.

She was later re-elected for the 2021–2023 term and remains in the position for the current cycle.

Her leadership experience also extends to Netball Zambia, where she served as president from 2020 to 2023. During that period, Zambia’s senior national team won the Africa Netball Cup in 2023, while the Under-21 side secured qualification for its first Youth World Cup in 2024.

For Lungu-Sichone, those achievements underline the importance of planning and sound administration.

“Strong governance is the backbone of any successful sport because it creates trust and accountability across all levels,” she said.

With women’s sport experiencing unprecedented growth globally, Lungu-Sichone believes African federations must ensure that expansion is supported by sustainable financial structures.

“We must ensure that every opportunity for growth is supported by sound financial systems that can sustain it,” she added.

That philosophy will be particularly relevant as Africa Netball prepares to stage its continental showpiece in Kenya, with the organisation seeking to strengthen both the profile and long-term sustainability of the sport.

Raditladi-Nkgakile puts athlete welfare at the heart of development

While Lungu-Sichone’s focus centres heavily on governance and financial stewardship, Raditladi-Nkgakile brings another critical dimension to Africa Netball’s development agenda: athlete welfare and safeguarding.

The Botswana administrator is a former multi-sport athlete who progressed into officiating and sports administration. She became a COSANA-accredited umpire before taking on roles at the Botswana National Sports Commission, where her responsibilities included marketing, sports development and special projects.

During her time as President of the Botswana Netball Association, she placed considerable emphasis on governance, coach development and officiating.

Her tenure included initiatives that empowered 230 coaches, licensed 16 coaches and supported the development of umpires. Botswana also achieved a major milestone under her leadership when it won the Netball Nations Cup in Singapore in 2022 before successfully hosting the Africa Cup in 2023.

Since 2019, Raditladi-Nkgakile has served as Africa Netball Vice President.

Her influence has extended well beyond competition administration, with safeguarding becoming a defining part of her work.

She was involved in safeguarding initiatives at the Africa Youth Games in 2014 and later coordinated the NIF Safe Inclusive Sport Programme across Africa. Her work has also contributed to safeguarding frameworks within ANOCA Zone VI and AUSC Region 5.

Her credentials include IOC safeguarding certification and Train-the-Trainer accreditation, while she was also honoured with the SSI Celia Brackenridge Award for Service to Safe Sport.

“Athletes must feel safe, supported, and valued because that is where true performance begins,” Raditladi-Nkgakile said.

Her experience includes serving as Welfare and Safeguarding Manager at the 2023 Netball World Cup in Cape Town and, more recently, as Head of Safeguarding and Youth Programmes for the World Athletics Relays Gaborone 2026.

Beyond tournaments: Building a sustainable sport

The leadership approaches of Lungu-Sichone and Raditladi-Nkgakile point to a broader transformation taking place within African netball.

Hosting tournaments and increasing participation remain important, but sustainable growth requires much more — from financial accountability and governance to athlete protection, coaching structures and talent development.

Raditladi-Nkgakile believes sporting events should serve as platforms for demonstrating those standards.

“Events are an opportunity to showcase not only talent but the standards and values that define our sport,” she said.

That approach will be tested at the 2026 Africa Netball Cup, which is expected to bring together some of the continent’s leading netball nations while providing a major platform for women’s sport in Africa.

For Lungu-Sichone, the priority is turning the current growth of the game into sustainable opportunities.

“We are seeing growth at all levels of the game and the focus now is to convert that into structured opportunities for athletes and federations,” she said.

Raditladi-Nkgakile believes that growth must also be inclusive and protected.

“Growth must be inclusive and it must be protected because the future of the sport depends on how we invest in people today,” she said.

Kenya tournament a showcase of Africa Netball’s ambitions

The Africa Netball Cup 2026 will therefore represent more than another opportunity to determine continental supremacy.

It will also provide a test of the systems and leadership structures behind the sport as Africa Netball seeks to expand participation, improve governance, strengthen safeguarding and create greater commercial and digital opportunities for women’s netball.

With the tournament heading to Kenya in September, Lungu-Sichone and Raditladi-Nkgakile represent two complementary sides of that ambition — one focused on strong financial and governance foundations, the other on athlete welfare, safeguarding and development.

Together, their work reflects an increasingly important message for African sport: lasting success is built not only on what happens on the court, but on the structures created around the athletes who compete on it.