Africa-Press – Uganda. When Uganda’s women’s cricket eventually makes its next leap, Lahore might be remembered as the ignition point. Richard Okia — the newly appointed Head of High Performance and Pathways at Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) — has returned from a week-long ICC Women’s High Performance Workshop in Lahore with more than just notes.
He’s brought home an actionable framework that could reshape how Uganda grooms the next generation of female cricketers.
“The workshop was an eye-opener,” Okia told Daily Monitor.
“It gave us tools and context — not just vision. From grassroots hubs to high-performance analytics, we now know what can work for us.”
Developmental partnerships
While in Lahore, Okia also wore his national teams’ selector’s cap, engaging Pakistan and Bangladesh officials on possible bilateral development partnerships and series with their respective Emerging & Select Sides on a both home and away basis.
He met with Mr. Shahid Anwar, Head Coach at the Pakistan National Cricket Academy, to explore collaboration on coaching exchanges and academy placements. He also held discussions with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Women’s Director Rafia Haider and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB)’s Bulbul Bashar and Golam Faiyaz, focusing on knowledge-sharing in youth development and technical structures.
At a time when Uganda’s women’s team — the Victoria Pearls — has shown upward momentum on the global stage, the need for sustained structures has never been more urgent. “We’ve often lacked clear development pathways. Women’s cricket gives us a real shot at global events, but without proper systems, we’re only scratching the surface,” Okia noted.
More knowledge
As also a part time national teams’ analyst, Okia is no stranger to high-level planning, but he admits the Pakistan trip sharpened his sense of what’s missing.
From certified female coaches to regional leagues and match exposure, his plan — now due for presentation to the UCA board — offers a layered approach. “We want to see every young girl with a dream have a pathway — from schools to the Victoria Pearls,” concluded Okia.
In addition to the workshop and meetings, Okia took in some breathtaking action at the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier*, which ran concurrently. Hosts Pakistan emerged champions, while **Bangladesh edged out West Indies via Net Run Rate (NRR)* to secure the second qualification slot for the global event later this year.
TALKING POINT:
Development Gaps. Despite recent success by the Victoria Pearls, Uganda’s women’s cricket remains heavily reliant on individual brilliance. Okia’s new roadmap — forged in international engagement — could finally offer the structural balance and technical consistency the women’s game needs to become sustainable.
Key Takeaways from Lahore
1. 5-day engagement with over 20 nations discussing women’s cricket strategy.
2. 3 key bilateral meetings with PCB and BCB heads focused on future collaborations.
3. 1 unified roadmap for Uganda women’s cricket from grassroots to high performance.
4. Priority pillars: Coach education, regional leagues, and increased female participation.
5. 1 action-ready plan to be tabled before UCA’s executive for phased roll out.
For More News And Analysis About Uganda Follow Africa-Press
