TANZANIA unveiled the 2019 Under-17 Africa’s Cup of Nations (AFCON) official mascot, at a short ceremony in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports Harrison Mwakyembe has unveiled the official mascot, signifying that Tanzania is 100 per cent ready to host the 13th edition of the tournament this April.
Blended with the country’s tourism natural attractions such as Mount Kilimanjaro and nature, the mascot also carries with it an antipoaching campaign, in which, Rhino’s horn and elephant’s tusks are on display.
Minister Mwakyembe was told by the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) official, Aaron Nyanda that the mascot also contains the Confederation of African Football (CAF) symbols.
In his gesture Mwakyembe said, the mascot was rich in nature, symbolising unity, harmony and courage. However, Minister Mwakyembe advised that more adjustments could be made to improve the mascot even further.
The Minister thanked President John Magufuli, for approving the tournament to be staged in the country, saying the government will continue to put its own weight to make sure that the finals to be staged in the country for the first time in history will be a success.
Aside the launch of the tournament mascot, Tanzania is also in the process of launching the official song of the biennial tournament. “We are sure, with close cooperation from TFF and CAF, the finals will be staged successfully,” said Minister Mwakyembe.
Minister Mwakyembe, who is also the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), picked to oversee the smooth organization of the tournament, said they have been working tirelessly, to address the recommendations by CAF on improving the venues that will host the event.
He issued a rallying cry for Tanzanians to turn up in huge numbers to support Serengeti Boys and the tournament at large and prove to the rest of the world that Tanzania was capable of hosting even bigger tournaments.
He also said that Serengeti Boys are ready to win the tournament and will go all the way to qualify for the World Cup in Peru this October.
