by Justice Lee Adoboe

ACCRA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The new Executive Committee of Rugby Africa on Monday invited Herbert Mensah, President of the Ghana Rugby Association, to join the continental body on a special non-voting basis.

The invitation by the Khaled Babbou-led committee was in the "spirit of unity and as part of the strategy to have more inclusion and teamwork".

"Rugby Africa recognizes that there is a need to improve funding support for rugby activities or initiatives and is committed to developing sustainable solutions for its members participating in these activities. Herbert Mensah shall play a key role in this strategy," said a release written by Babbou.

The statement explained that Mensah was being invited to contribute his experience in building commercial value for Rugby Africa competitions, which is a core strategic focus for the Executive Committee.

The release added that the newly-elected executive committee would also formulate strategies to focus on good governance within the membership of Rugby Africa and strengthen competitions for the youth and women, in both the seven- and fifteen-man codes of the game.