Nigeria Reclaims Men’s Title, Dominates Women’s Field at 2025 ITTF West Africa Championships

Nigeria’s men’s table tennis team stormed back to continental glory on Thursday, reclaiming their title with a commanding 3-0 victory over Côte d’Ivoire in the final of the 2025 ITTF Africa West Regional Championships.

The ongoing tournament, taking place at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall inside the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos, also saw Nigeria’s women extend their reign by sweeping past Benin Republic, Ghana, and Guinea to retain their championship crown.

The event serves as a qualifying tournament for the 2025 African Championships, which will be staged later this year in Kigali, Rwanda.

After falling to Togo in last year’s edition, Nigeria’s men returned with renewed purpose. Competing in front of a home crowd, they breezed through the group phase, dropping just a single set, also against Côte d’Ivoire.

Led by Matthew Kuti, Taiwo Mati, and Abdulbasit Abdulfatai, the Nigerian trio delivered emphatic performances in the knockout rounds, culminating in a straight-set victory over the Ivorians in the final.

Attention now shifts to the singles events, which resume Friday. Côte d’Ivoire’s Oba Kizito, the defending men’s singles champion, faces stiff opposition from Nigeria’s top contenders, Kuti and Mati. Players from Togo and Benin Republic are also expected to pose strong challenges in the medal hunt.

Guinea’s Maret Camara made a strong impression in the group stage, topping Group 9 with a convincing 3-0 win over Ghana’s James Marfo. Nigeria’s only setback in the singles preliminaries came when Matthew Fabunmi lost a tight five-setter to Benin’s Atanda Adou in Group 11.

In the women’s singles, Nigerian players including Ajoke Ojomu, Kabirat Ayoola, and Aishat Rabiu, all advanced to the knockout rounds after dominating their respective groups.

The championship concludes on Saturday, July 19, when winners in both men’s and women’s singles will be crowned.

A total of ten nations are participating in the four-day event. The top three finishers in each category will earn qualification for the continental showdown in Rwanda this October.