From Bunmi Ogunyale, Birmingham, England
Nigeria’s Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare is part of the Pan-Commonwealth Innovators in Sports to brainstorm on various ways to effectively use sports as a vehicle to drive development and peace-keeping.
The meeting, which was held in Birmingham, United Kingdom, focused on how sports can be used to contribute to national development and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda – a global agenda and blueprint that aims to end poverty, protect the planet and make sure all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
The Minister, since the beginning of his tenure, has prioritised the utilisation of sports for peace keeping, as well as the reclassification of sports as business, which has the potential to contribute immensely to the nation’s economy and drive development.
Dare is currently an integral part of the Commonwealth Sports Ministers forum that meet every two years before the Commonwealth Games and Summer Olympic Games. Each meeting focused on priority sport policy issues and progress made on collaboration and joint work.