(William D. Ezah, GNA Special Correspondent, Maputo Mozambique, courtesy, National Sports Authority)

Maputo, Mozambique, Sept. 14, GNA - Congo has been given the right to host the next All Africa Games in 2015.

Officials of Congo will on Sunday, September 18, receive the symbol of the hosting rights as part of the closing ceremony on Saturday at the Zimpeto Stadium, in Maputo, Mozambique.

Penalva Cesar, Deputy Director of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), who doubles as their Spokesperson told GNA Sports in Maputo that the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa (SCSA) have agreed on the next host nation and they will duly hand over to them on Sunday.

Edward Zhakata, Director of Communications of SCSA also confirmed to the GNA Sports that Congo will be the next hosts of the Pan Africa Sports Festival and not Ghana as earlier reported in the media.

The 2015 event, which will be the 11th since its inception will coincide with the 50th Anniversary celebration of the All Africa Games, which started in the same country with 30 independent African countries with 2500 sports men and women participating in 10 disciplines in 1965

With 46 years down the lane, the Pan African event has assumed much bigger status with an increase in the number of participants as well as sporting disciplines.

The present host, Mozambique, have welcomed a total of 4,982 athletes, 544 officials, 1,158 journalists including reporters, cameramen, photographers and press attache's of some countries.

The Games has since 1965 travelled across the continent with Nigeria and Algeria hosting it twice, whilst Kenya hosted the fourth edition in 1987, Egypt the fifth edition, 1991; Zimbabwe the sixth edition, 1995 with South Africa hosting the seventh edition in 1999.