LAGOS — Nigeria’s men’s table tennis team reclaimed their crown at the 2025 ITTF Africa West Regional Championships with a commanding 3-0 victory over Côte d’Ivoire in the final on Thursday.
The four-day championship, which is taking place at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, also serves as a qualifier for the 2025 African Championships in Kigali, Rwanda.
After losing the men’s team title to Togo in 2024, Nigeria returned with renewed focus. Playing on home soil, the team — led by Matthew Kuti, Taiwo Mati, and Abdulbasit Abdulfatai — cruised through the group stages, dropping only one set, also to Côte d’Ivoire. They went on to deliver a flawless performance in the final.
Nigeria’s women’s team, spearheaded by Ajoke Ojomu, also defended their title successfully, overpowering teams from Benin Republic, Ghana, and Guinea to maintain their regional dominance.
The singles events resumed on Friday, featuring intense matchups. Côte d’Ivoire’s defending champion, Oba Kizito, is under pressure from in-form Nigerians Taiwo Mati and Matthew Kuti, while players from Togo and Benin Republic remain in contention for podium spots.
Guinea’s Maret Camara stood out in the group stage with a 3-0 win over Ghana’s James Marfo, topping Group 9. However, Nigeria’s only singles loss came in Group 11, where Matthew Fabunmi narrowly lost 3-2 to Benin Republic’s Atanda Adou.
In the women’s singles, Nigerian players Ajoke Ojomu, Kabirat Ayoola, and Aishat Rabiu all topped their groups and advanced to the knockout rounds.
The championship, which features teams from 10 West African nations, will conclude on Saturday, July 19, with final matches in both the men’s and women’s singles categories. The top three teams in each event will qualify for the continental finals in Rwanda this October.
