Bestine Kazadi has just etched her name in golden letters in the great book of African football. On March 12, during the 14th Extraordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) held at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, the Congolese was elected as the 5th Vice-President of the CAF Executive Committee (Comex), in charge of women’s football, for a four-year term (2025-2029).
During this extraordinary assembly, the current president of CAF, South African Patrice Motsepe, 63, was also re-elected for a second term until 2029.
New faces also joined the ranks of the CAF Comex strategists, which is composed of 24 members. Samuel Eto’o, a global football legend and president of the Cameroon Football Federation, made his mark at the top, alongside Bestine Kazadi. The two figures, elected under the banner of the Union of Central African Football Federations (UNIFFAC), have become the new architects of football in the region and across Africa. Also joining the CAF Comex elite are Wallace Karia, president of the Tanzanian Football Federation; Sadi Walid, president of the Algerian Football Federation; Mustapha Raji, president of the Liberian Football Federation; and Kurt Okraku, president of the Ghana Football Federation.
According to CAF’s statutes, the executive committee is responsible for executing the policy and decisions of the General Assembly, as well as managing and administering CAF. The Comex, elected by the General Assembly, consists of a president, 13 members representing regional unions, one female member, and 6 African representatives to the FIFA Council. These members attend meetings of the CAF Executive Committee.
As the 5th Vice-President of CAF, Bestine Kazadi succeeds Comorian Kanizat Ibrahim, who was elected to represent CAF on the FIFA Council – the main decision-making body of FIFA between each FIFA Congress. Kanizat Ibrahim succeeds, in turn, Isha Johansen, the former CAF Executive Committee member and former president of the Sierra Leone Football Federation.
Outside of Kanizat Ibrahim, five other national football federation presidents in Africa were elected to join the FIFA Council: Djibrilla Hima Hamidou (Niger), Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco), Souleiman Hassan Waberi (Djibouti), Hany Abou Rida (Egypt), and Ahmed Yahya (Mauritania). They become the guardians of the continent’s ambitions on the FIFA Council. Their mission? To make Africa’s voice heard at the heart of strategic football decisions, impose its vision, and defend its interests.
Samuel Eto’o, a remarkable entry
While his candidacy was initially rejected by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for ethical reasons, Samuel Eto’o eventually triumphed through the intervention of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which validated his candidacy for the CAF Executive Committee election on March 12. With his entry into the CAF Comex, the former captain of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon further strengthens his influence at the top of African football.
Already a prominent figure, he is now considered a serious contender for the presidency of CAF in four years, succeeding Patrice Motsepe. With his charisma and boundless ambition, he is making strategic moves on the continental football stage, ready to lead a new era.
Elected president of the Cameroon Football Federation (Fécafoot) in December 2021, the four-time African Ballon d’Or winner has set himself a mission: to revolutionize both Cameroonian and African football. Now a member of the CAF Executive Committee, Samuel Eto’o is no longer just an icon, he is becoming a strategist of power, steadily shaping his ascent to the summit of African football.
Bestine Kazadi to shine a light on African women’s football
Bestine Kazadi is now one of only two women on the CAF Executive Committee, alongside Kanizat Ibrahim. “I thank the Confederation of African Football for my election to the Executive Committee, which I approach with responsibility, determination, and above all, passion. I am proud to represent my country, the DRC, at the most influential African sports body! I understand the responsibility of carrying the voice of the Congolese people, who are fighting with resilience against the humanitarian tragedy and the illegal occupation of their territory. I am committed to working towards better representation of women in decision-making sports bodies and making football a lever of influence, particularly for women. Football is a tool for peace that transcends borders and unites all peoples,” said Bestine Kazadi on her X account.
A strong and audacious woman, the Congolese leader once again makes her mark in a realm long dominated by men. Trained as a lawyer, an inspired writer, an tireless activist, and a seasoned leader, Bestine Kazadi currently serves as the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in charge of International Cooperation and Francophony in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Prior to this, she was Special Advisor to the President of the DRC on Cooperation and Regional Integration and Personal Representative of the Congolese President to the International Organization of Francophonie (OIF).
Born in Belgium to a Belgian mother and Congolese father but deeply rooted in Congolese soil, Bestine Kazadi grew up in the DRC before continuing her studies in Liège, Belgium, where she graduated in law and social sciences. In 1995, she returned to the DRC and spread her activist wings by founding the Bureau of Reflection and Congolese Studies (BREC), a think tank focused on promoting democracy, enhancing civic culture, and reaffirming Congolese identity.
A beacon for women, a voice for the voiceless
Bestine Kazadi presides over the Congolese Women’s Civil Society (SOCIFEC), an organization that shapes leaders and opens doors for women in power. As the first woman to lead the Rotary Club Kinshasa, she also became the major donor of the global Polio + program.
But Bestine Kazadi is not content with just making history, she is also writing it with her pen. A poet and short story writer, she adorns the pain of the DRC with words of resilience. Congo, words for pains (2006) and Infi(r)niment woman (2009) echo her committed soul, while her International Anthem of Women for Peace, composed in 2010, resonates as a symphony of unity and hope.
Breaking barriers
In 2020, Bestine Kazadi donned a new jersey as president of AS Vita Club, becoming the first woman to lead this giant of Congolese football. She was removed from this position in November 2023. Nevertheless, despite the storms and challenges, she held firm and proved that sports management has no gender or limits. Her tenure opened the way for greater recognition of women in leadership positions within Congolese football, and, by extension, African football.
Now, as Vice-President of CAF, the Congolese leader embarks on a new revolution, and her election promises a more inclusive governance, with women’s football brought into the spotlight and a continent that believes in the strength of its daughters.
Kanizat Ibrahim, a pioneer to represent African football within FIFA
Newly elected to the FIFA Council, Kanizat Ibrahim joined the CAF Executive Committee on March 12, 2021, in Rabat, after being elected as the 5th Vice-President of CAF, a first for Comoros. She broke a glass ceiling by becoming the first Comorian personality elected to the CAF Executive Committee, at that time one of only two women on a 23-member committee, alongside Isha Johansen.
Married and a mother of three, Kanizat Ibrahim holds a diploma in advanced professional studies (DEPA) in entrepreneurship from the Institute of Francophonie for Entrepreneurship in Mauritius and a Master’s in Business Creation and Management of Innovative Projects from the University of Montesquieu Bordeaux IV, France.
After her studies, she returned to Comoros to write her own success story. She founded Synercom, a company specializing in the sale of IT products, communications, and event management, which has been thriving for over 20 years.
Her passion for football, long kept behind the scenes, eventually pushed her to the forefront. Coming from the world of entrepreneurship rather than sport, she decided to cross the lines and seized the opportunity to transform Comorian football. She passed the FIFA exam successfully, joined the FIFA-appointed normalization committee of the Comoros Football Federation (FFC), and became its president, with the mission to restore order in the federation’s governance, restore its credibility, and structure its future. She held this position from November 2019 to January 2021. Tasked with restructuring the federation and organizing elections for its executive committee under FIFA supervision, she accomplished her mission brilliantly, opening a new era for Comorian football.
Her greatest achievement remains having been the architect of the historic journey of the Coelacanths, the Comoros national team. Under her leadership, these outsiders etched their names into legend by qualifying for their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, the 33rd edition, held in 2022 in Cameroon. This qualification not only marked their first appearance in the competition but also in a major tournament, putting Comoros on the international football map.
