CECAFA Commits to Expanding Women's Refereeing Across East and Central Africa

The Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) has reaffirmed its commitment to developing women referees across its 12-member zone, with president Paulos Weldehaimanot Andemariam meeting officials at the CAF Women's Champions League zonal qualifier in Kigali, Rwanda, to commend their professionalism and encourage them toward the game's highest levels, including FIFA appointments at major continental tournaments. Andemariam said CECAFA has already opened discussions with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) aimed at strengthening resources and development support available to member associations, and announced plans to launch a dedicated women referees' VAR development course in 2027 — a direct response to a request from Josephine Wanjiku, a Kenyan referee who officiated at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2026, for training equipping women specifically for video assistant referee roles. CECAFA interim executive director Jean Sseninde reiterated the secretariat's commitment to creating an enabling environment for women to progress across both technical and administrative areas of the sport, not solely on the pitch as players or referees. The push for greater representation in officiating mirrors growing investment in women's competitive football across the region: the CECAFA Women's Championship, first played in 1986 and revived in 2016, has been won three times by Tanzania, while the CECAFA Women's Champions League, launched in 2021 as the female counterpart to the CAF Champions League, has been dominated by Tanzania's JKT Queens, winners of two of its four editions to date. CECAFA points to steady growth in youth competitions as evidence of a deepening pipeline, with the CECAFA Women's U-20 Championship, launched the same year, having crowned Ethiopia as its most recent champion — part of a broader regional strategy linking investment in young players with investment in the officials and administrators needed to sustain the women's game long term.