As Africa Netball prepares for the Africa Netball Cup 2026 in Kenya this September, the leadership of Martha Lungu-Sichone and Malebo Raditladi-Nkgakile reflects a deliberate focus on structure, commercial and sustainability.
Their work sits at the intersection of governance and growth, shaping how the sport evolves across the continent. The continental showpiece will bring Africa’s leading netball nations together and place the systems, standards and people behind the sport’s growth firmly in focus.
Lungu-Sichone, who currently serves as Treasurer of Africa Netball for the 2024–2027 term following her re-election, brings a rare combination of financial expertise and lived sporting experience.
Her journey spans over four decades in netball, beginning as a player in the 1990s before transitioning into administration. Between 2012 and 2016 she served as Treasurer of Netball Zambia and later stepped onto the continental stage as Africa Netball Treasurer from 2016 to 2019, before being re-elected for the 2021–2023 term and again for the current cycle.
Her leadership extended nationally when she served as President of Netball Zambia from 2020 to 2023, a period that saw the senior national team secure a historic Africa Netball Cup victory in 2023 and the Under 21 team qualify for their first ever Youth World Cup in 2024. These milestones were not isolated successes but the result of deliberate planning and governance structures that remain relevant as Africa Netball prepares for the 2026 continental showpiece in Nairobi, Kenya.
“Strong governance is the backbone of any successful sport because it creates trust and accountability across all levels,” said Lungu-Sichone.
Her role has become increasingly significant as women’s sport enters a phase defined not just by growth but by expectation. Globally, the shift is no longer about proving the value of women’s sport but about scaling it through structured investment and credible leadership. For Africa Netball, this means ensuring that financial frameworks are robust enough to support member federations and deliver competitions such as the Africa Netball Cup 2026 with credibility and long-term value.
“We must ensure that every opportunity for growth is supported by sound financial systems that can sustain it,” Lungu-Sichone added.
Alongside this financial stewardship, Malebo Raditladi‑Nkgakile, a former athlete across multiple sport codes including netball, has built a distinguished career in sport administration and governance. She began as an athlete, then as a COSANA‑accredited umpire, and advanced to national roles at the Botswana National Sports Commission, contributing to marketing, sport development, and special projects. As President of the Botswana Netball Association, she placed governance and compliance at the heart of her leadership, empowering 230 coaches on fundamental principles of coaching, licensing 16, and upgrading umpires. She committed her leadership to the BNSC grassroots development program Re Ba Bona Ha, under a well‑planned BONA Long‑Term Athlete Development Program. Her tenure delivered Botswana’s first Netball Nations Cup victory in Singapore (2022) and a successful Africa Cup in 2023.
Since 2019, Raditladi‑Nkgakile has served as Vice President of Africa Netball, bringing a critical human dimension to the organisation. Her safeguarding leadership dates back to the Africa Youth Games in 2014 and includes coordinating the NIF Safe Inclusive Sport Program across Africa, shaping frameworks for ANOCA Zone VI and AUSC Region 5, and earning global recognition through IOC Safeguarding certification and Train‑the‑Trainer accreditation. Most recently, she was honoured with the SSI Celia Brackenridge Award for Service to Safe Sport.
Her expertise has been visible on the world stage, notably as Welfare and Safeguarding Manager at the 2023 Netball World Cup in Cape Town, and as Head of Safeguarding and Youth Programs for the World Athletics Relays Gaborone 2026. “Athletes must feel safe, supported, and valued because that is where true performance begins,” she affirms.
Raditladi‑Nkgakile’s career reflects a growing global trend, athlete welfare and ethical governance as core pillars of sustainable sport. She stresses that activities alone do not equate to sport development, true progress is achieved when events are underpinned by governance, compliance, and holistic talent strategies. “Events are an opportunity to showcase not only talent but the standards and values that define our sport,” she sad.
Together, their leadership aligns closely with Africa Netball’s broader objectives of growing participation, strengthening governance and building a sustainable future for the sport. These priorities will be visible at the Africa Netball Cup 2026, which will provide a continental platform for performance, digital engagement and greater visibility for women’s netball.
For Lungu-Sichone, the challenge lies in ensuring that this momentum translates into tangible progress across the continent. “We are seeing growth at all levels of the game and the focus now is to convert that into structured opportunities for athletes and federations,” she said.
Raditladi-Nkgakile echoed this sentiment, emphasising the importance of intentional development. “Growth must be inclusive and it must be protected because the future of the sport depends on how we invest in people today,” she said.
Their combined leadership highlights a broader shift within African netball, one that recognises that governance, safeguarding and commercial strategy are interconnected. As global attention continues to turn towards women’s sport, Africa Netball is positioning itself to be part of that momentum, with the tournament in Kenya this September serving as a practical expression of that ambition.
In Lungu-Sichone and Raditladi-Nkgakile, the organisation has leaders whose careers reflect both depth of experience and clarity of vision. Through structured leadership and a commitment to progress, they are helping to build the foundation on which the Africa Netball Cup 2026 and the next chapter of netball in Africa can thrive.
