Senegal's recent triumph on the continent, with many players from their training centers turning professional, or the vast training policy in Morocco, implemented in particular by the Mohammed VI Academy has brought up the debate on the training of young footballers on the African continent.
If Génération Foot and Diambars have been regularly cited as examples in Senegal, other countries have also made considerable progress in this area. Burkina Faso, semi-finalist of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon 2021, prides itself with structures like Salitas managing to get players out who have become part of the national team staff.
There are many examples of which Benin wants to rely to carry out its youth training policy to develop its football at the local level, but also within the different youth national teams. It is with this in mind that Jean-Marc Adjovi-Boco has been appointed technical adviser to Benin's Minister of Sports.
"The project is to develop sport and football in particular from the youth categories. In Benin, we decided to work around school sports," the former Cheetahs ace told CAFOnline.
"The government has set up sports classes in the 77 municipalities, it also means building the infrastructure. We have already built 22 stadiums with synthetic pitches, athletics tracks and can accommodate other sports such as volleyball.
"It is necessary to underline the agreement between the Beninese Football Federation and the State which work hand in hand."
A founding member of the Diambars project in Senegal with Bernard Lama, Patrick Vieira and Saër Seck, Jean-Marc Adjovi-Boco does not want to rely on this model in order to be able to do more for his country's youth.
"I think I could bring a lot more to my country," Jean-Marc said. "We work well but we can always do more.
"People must understand that Senegal winning all these trophies did not come out of nowhere.
"There is a real project that has been set up and we are quite proud to have been a detonator with Diambars. The other countries should look at what Senegal is doing but also Morocco, who are working very well. These are countries whose models must be copied," he emphasized.
Benin has decided to bring in experts in youth development and sporting directors, some of whom are from France, to boost the project.
"We have results with them. We have a real project that is being developed. The quality of play produced by our players from the U20 selection, the vast majority of whom play in the Benin championship, shows that the work is starting to bear fruit," he said.
Jean-Marc says results are also beginning to be seen in the local football championship, thanks in particular to the financing of sport by institutions. A mechanism that will support football and other disciplines.
"There is a desire to professionalize football. The government has asked companies to take over the clubs.
"There is also a sports development tax with all companies that exceed a certain amount in turnover and must pay 1 in 1000 into sports development. All this proves how much the government wants sport and football to develop."
Although this vast project is still in its infancy the first results have been observed at the level of the school championship, where Benin won the boys' and girls' WAFU-B CAF African Schools Football Championship in Côte d'Ivoire.
"It proves that we are working well," Adjovi-Boco pointed.
"There is still work to be done. It is a first step in order to set up and develop football in the youth categories.
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"Traveling to different African countries, I have seen that some are ahead in setting up training centers, but behind in terms of school sports. And vice versa too.
"So let's see where the good things are done and copy them, share our experiences highlighting those that are successful. We don't have to go and watch what's happening in Europe all the time," the ex international said.
As proof, the examples previously cited on the continent or even the Jean-Marc Guillou academies in Mali and Côte d'Ivoire, which have seen the emergence of players who have had careers at the highest level.
A path that Jean-Marc Adjovi-Boco wants to follow for his country thanks to this training system set up on a national scale.
"I think that in a few years Benin will be on the map of African football," he promises.
