T Mbeki: Launch of Africa Legacy Programme at African Union Summit of
Heads of State and Government

29 January 2007

I'm very very impressed chairperson with the discipline of the Heads of
State and Government who are here. They�ve been sitting here very patiently for
many hours; I think the only saving grace is that everybody has made an
interesting speech.

But I want to be very brief and say that:

Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), Confederation of
African Football (CAF), South African Local Organising Committee for 2010, all
of them looked forward to this day when it would be possible for Sepp Blatter,
for Issa Hayatou to speak to the assembly of African Heads of State and
Government to say, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of CAF and that's an
important achievement; important also because it coincides with the 50th
anniversary of the independence of Ghana.

But also to say thank you indeed to the African Union that a decision was
taken to observe this year as a year of African Football on our continent. I
must say thank you very much to Chairman of the African Union President
Sassou-Nguesso and chair of the commission, President Konare, for making it
possible indeed for this ceremony to take place this afternoon.

Let me also say again, our humble thanks and many thanks and our profound
thanks to President Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA, who indeed as he has just
explained took it upon himself to make sure that the FIFA World Cup at last
comes to the African Continent.

Thank you very much for that.

I must also say that I'm very glad that we have with us the Prime Minister
of Trinidad and Tobago because indeed as he indicated, the Caribbean supported
our candidacy and one of the things that we have said again as both Issa
Hayatou and Sepp Blatter have said is that we have to make absolutely certain
that this 2010 Soccer World Cup benefits the African Continent but also
benefits the African Diaspora. That is why I'm saying indeed I'm very glad
indeed that Prime Minister Patrick Manning is with us here because in the
planning and the things Sepp Blatter was talking about the legacy, the impact
it must have on us as Africans we have always defined those Africans as
Africans on the continent and Africans on the Diaspora.

So what therefore has been decided is that we should have this Africa Legacy
Programme so that indeed in the manner that has already been described, we work
in a systematic manner to ensure that the 2010 Soccer World Cup does indeed
make a lasting impact on the continent and leaves the peoples of our continent
and the Diaspora indeed with a lasting legacy.

So, in a sense today we also launch that African Legacy Programme which will
improve football infrastructure on the continent, help with our administration
and governance, help in other elements to make sure that indeed football,
important as it is, also helps with regards to other matters including
economies of our country, mobilises the youth, both in football and sports in
general, and does all of these things that need to be done to make sure that we
observe a campaign for "Sport for all" on our continent.

Before I sit down, I must say that we are quite certain that when the World
Cup takes place in South Africa in 2010, it will be possible for everybody to
see that perhaps FIFA has never had as successful a World Cup as FIFA will have
on the African Continent in 2010.

So we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of CAF, we launch the year to observe
to the African Football, we launch the African Legacy Programme so we proceed
on our way to 2010.

There will be two results in 2010, one of them will be surely that our
African peoples are better then than they are today, thanks to the role that
football will play and secondly the World Cup will stay on the African
continent.

I thank you.

Issued by: The Presidency
29 January 2007