WORLD’S FOOTBALL governing body, Fifa, has given the green light to a new national football development strategy which will help grow the sport in the country.

The blueprint was approved on October 11 at the end of the two-day leadership retreat at Lake Kivu Serena Hotel.

The retreat was organised by Fifa on the request of Rwanda Football Association (Ferwafa) under their Performance Program, ‘The Football Management’, which seeks to enhance the management of football in Rwanda.

The retreat was attended by Ferwafa executive committee and technical director Johnson Lee.

It was conducted by Zelkifli Ngoufonja, Senior Development Manager-Africa and Seidou Mbombo, Africa’s Fifa Development Officer, based in Yaounde, Cameroon.

The plan is to help Ferwafa reach its full potential both on and off the pitch, including through building the capacity of its executives.

Prior to the retreat, the Fifa delegation took time to review how Ferwafa operates, its structures and talked to various stakeholders including the government, sponsors and media with an aim of getting a clear picture of how the football body carries out its day-to-day activities.

At the retreat, participants reviewed the federation’s strategic plan and made amendments before passing the one-year plan.

"We now request Ferwafa to implement this action plan and this has to be done by the secretariat with the involvement of the executive committee because it’s the supreme body of the federation,” a Ferwafa statement quotes Ngoufonja as saying after the retreat.

Sports minister Joseph Habineza said: ‘We hope this programme will help in changing the image of our football. I have to thank Fifa for the commitment, support and love they have always shown to Rwanda as far as the development of football is concerned.”

Both the strategic and action plan will be presented to Minister Habineza before he submits his ministry’s targets to cabinet.