Namanda keeps Uganda flag High

By Emmanuel Sekago

Uganda Volleyball Federation President Hadija Namanda recently visited the headquarters of the international federation, where she met FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° and members of staff from different departments in the organization.

Newly elected, Namanda’s priorities combine promoting and developing volleyball in Uganda with a focus on the core values of the sport, including mutual respect, the promotion of excellence and the celebration of friendship.

Namanda, who is the first female president in the history of the Uganda Volleyball Federation, is also an advocate of the importance of the role of women in sport and sport management. And with a wide-ranging background in volleyball as a player, coach and referee, she has shown the way forward for women in her country and at a continental level.

A Level II FIVB Volleyball Coach and an international referee, Namanda continues to play in her free time. She has officiated as a referee at both the women’s and the men’s African club championships, at continental qualifiers for the FIVB Volleyball World Cup and at continental women’s qualifiers for the Olympic Games. She now takes the reins of the national federation as it seeks to take volleyball to the next level in the East African country.

Alongside plans to grow volleyball in Uganda, and a focus on grassroots volleyball in schools and communities around the country, Namanda will also turn her attention to governance issues, promoting transparency and a system of checks and balances to ensure the long term growth and sustainability of the sport in Uganda.

A keen all-rounder, Namanda has practiced a number of sports, including table tennis, in which she ranked ninth in Africa in 1996, and badminton. Her children also represent Uganda as swimmers.