The Chairman of the Kano State Football Coaches Association, Ibrahim Gwadabe, is currently in Rwanda participating in the final stage of the FIFA Coach Educator pathway programme.
Speaking through a WhatsApp interview, Coach Gwadabe revealed that his participation in the course was made possible following his nomination by the Nigeria Football Federation, which facilitated his selection and four others for the international training initiative organized by FIFA.
The programme, according to him, is designed to enhance coaching education standards and develop qualified coach educators capable of improving football training methodologies across member associations.
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Coach Ibrahim Gwadabe explained that the five-stage course began in 2023 as part of the coaching education initiative organized by FIFA to develop qualified coach educators.
The programme was designed to be completed through a combination of online learning, practical onsite training, and international instructional sessions across different countries.
He noted that two of the segments were completed online through virtual learning platforms such as Zoom, while another segment (the third) was conducted in Ghana and lasted for seven days.
The fourth segment of the programme was an onsite course held in Abuja, where participants were taught and rigorously assessed on their ability to train coaches for the D-Licence certification.
During this stage, they were practically observed and assessed on modern coaching education methods, particularly how to effectively deliver training content and mentor candidates undergoing basic coaching certification under the framework of FIFA.
Upon successful completion of the programme, participants will be awarded certification by FIFA, which will qualify them to serve as instructor-educators responsible for training and developing coaches seeking various levels of FIFA coaching license here in Nigeria and other African countries.
The programme brings together coaches from several African countries, with five participants from Nigeria, five from Ghana, four from Zimbabwe, and four from Zambia taking part in the coaching education initiative organized under the framework of FIFA.
The Nigerian delegation includes Coach Augustine Eguavoen, Rafiu Yusuf, Monday Odigie, Edema Fuludu and Ibrahim Gwadabe in the coaching education initiative.
The certification is expected to strengthen coaching education capacity within Nigeria and enhance the standard of football coaching development in the country.
Coach Ibrahim Gwadabe and the four other participants are expected to return to Nigeria on the 7th of this month after the successful completion of the training programme in Rwanda.
