ITF expert, Illou Lonfo will visit Nigeria for the first time on the 10th of March, in a bid to assess the development of the sport in the country and help improve certain areas such as coaching.
Lonfo, the ITF representative at the on-going African Junior Finals qualifiers in Cotonou, was once a coach at an ITF Centre in Senegal and was also in charge of the High Performance Centre in Morocco.
The Ivorian, 45, will meet with tennis coaches in Nigeria, and will assess the Coach Education Programme in the country. The ITF Coach Education Programme seeks to help national associations create their own coach education programme so that they can become self-sufficient in this area and generally improve the level of tennis coaching around the world.
Aside meeting with the coaches, Lonfo will also meet with other partners of the Nigeria Tennis Federation, including the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Sports Council, and sponsors of tennis in Nigeria.
He will also have a session with the top juniors in the country.
The President of the NTF, Engr. Dayo Akindoju wants the ITF expert to see the talents present in Nigeria so that the global body can understand why a High Performance Centre is needed in Nigeria.
A high performance centre will help young tennis players in Nigeria reach their full potentials both as aspiring tennis players and in their academic pursuits. It will also enable the young players to participate and excel in local and international junior events, as well as give them opportunities to get scholarships outside the country and possibly play full-time professionally.
Lonfo will arrive Nigeria on the 10th and leave on the 15th.