The 11th African Games – Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo

The 11th Edition of the African Games is scheduled to take place from September 4 to 19, 2015, in Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo. This edition will mark the 50th Anniversary of the African Games, since the first edition in 1965 that was also hosted by the Republic of Congo. Approximately 7,000 athletes from 50 African countries will converge back to the birth place of the African Games in Brazzaville to celebrate the golden jubilee of the African Games in the spirit of Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance.

This edition is also a milestone for the AU as it is the first one under the auspices of the African Union as the owner of the Games, following the dissolution of the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa (SCSA) as well as the integration of the functions of the SCSA into the AU. The integrated functions of the SCSA include the ownership, coordination and organization of the African Games.

The opening ceremony will take place on September 4, and will be presided over by Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo.

During the games, the AU will rally the continent around the spirit of Pan-Africanism through its key message i.e. "I am African, I am the African Union" and through its 50 year Agenda 2063 development framework. Agenda 2063 is an approach to how the continent should effectively learn from the lessons of the past, build on the progress now underway and strategically exploit all possible opportunities available in the immediate and medium term, so as to ensure positive socioeconomic transformation within the next 50 years. The agenda will assist the continent to achieve its vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the international arena.

"Because of the power of sport, we see this event as an important milestone on the road to achieving the objectives of our continental vision and action plan, which Africa has christened Agenda 2063: the Africa We Want," said AU Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.