Rugby Africa to Lead Safeguarding Drive as 25 Nations Participate in Global SSI Conference in Cape Town
In the conference, Rugby Africa delegates will take part in a cross-sport exchange session with representatives from World Athletics, bringing together delegates from the same countries and regions to share experiences, challenges and solutions on safeguarding implementation.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa –Rugby Africa will bring together representatives from 25 member unions in Cape Town from May 25–29 for a safeguarding and development programme, beginning with the Safe Sport International (SSI) Conference, aimed at building a continental safeguarding network to share best practices.
Organised in partnership with the French Development Agency (AFD) (www.afd.fr/en) and World Rugby (www.world.rugby), the initiative forms part of Rugby Africa’s long-term safeguarding strategy to equip federations with the tools, knowledge and networks needed to implement effective safeguarding systems. Representatives from the French Rugby Federation and Oceania Rugby will also be in attendance.
As part of the SSI Conference, Rugby Africa delegates will take part in a cross-sport exchange session with representatives from World Athletics (https://worldathletics.org), bringing together delegates from the same countries and regions to share experiences, challenges and solutions on safeguarding implementation. The session highlights the growing recognition that safeguarding cuts across all sports and the need for stronger collaborative protection systems beyond rugby.
The programme continues with an exclusive Rugby Africa Safeguarding Workshop on May 28 and the Rugby Africa Growth Conference on May 29, building on previous editions in Kigali (2024) and Saïdia (2025).
The Rugby Africa workshop on May 28 will provide practical training using Rugby Africa’s safeguarding policy, procedures and toolkit, supporting federations to develop national action plans aligned with international safe sport standards. It is designed to help create safe, inclusive and respectful environments while strengthening national capacity to prevent, detect and respond to abuse, harassment and neglect.
Expected outcomes include the training and certification of 25 safeguarding focal points across member unions and progressive adoption of safeguarding policies in at least 50% of participating federations within 12 months.
Ahead of the workshop, participants are required to complete the Safeguarding Essentials module on the World Rugby Passport platform and to review Rugby Africa’s safeguarding policy and toolkit.
These discussions come at a crucial time, following a key milestone in February 2026 when, during its Annual General Meeting in Kampala, Rugby Africa formally adopted a continent-wide Safeguarding Policy and Procedures. This marked a historic step for player protection across all member unions, establishing clear, harmonised standards to prevent and respond to abuse, harassment, neglect, and exploitation in rugby, fully aligned with international norms. The policy and procedures will come into effect on 27 August, allowing for a six-month rollout period since the soft launch in February.
World Rugby’s Regional Partnership Manager for Africa, Coralie Van Den Berg, will speak on days two and three of the SSI Conference, contributing to a panel on Building a Continental Safeguarding Network alongside representatives from FIFA and CAF. The discussion will focus on leadership, accountability, and setting and upholding a safe sport culture.
“The future of women’s rugby in Africa depends not only on participation and performance pathways, but also on our ability to create safe, inclusive, and respectful environments across every level of the game. Strong safeguarding systems are critical to increasing participation, supporting player welfare, and ensuring that women and girls can fully thrive within our sport in Africa, “said Dr. Adisha Bholah, Rugby Africa’s Women’s Rugby Manager.
“The adoption of a safeguarding policy was a critical milestone, but policies alone do not protect people — people do. This gathering is about building a trusted network of trained safeguarding focal points who can put the policy into practice and support one another to protect everyone involved in our sport,” said Coralie Van Den Berg, World Rugby’s Regional Partnership Manager for Africa.
“Having spent many years in rugby, I have seen how much the game depends on trust and responsibility at every level. What we are doing in Cape Town is about making sure that safeguarding is understood and applied consistently across all our unions. It is about discipline in execution, so that everyone in the game knows protection is part of how Rugby Africa operates, not something separate from it,” said Nasser Bougja, Vice President of Rugby Africa and Chair of Safeguarding Committee.
To Access Official Safeguarding Policy EN: Click Here
To Access Official Safeguarding Policy FR: Click Here
To Access Official Safeguarding Procedure EN: Click Here
To Access Official Safeguarding Procedure FR: Click Here
