He claimed it was a priority to ensure athletes were ready for the next edition of the Games.

"We will spare no effort to fully prepare Africa for major international sporting events and, as such, after the Tokyo Olympic Games, we took the full measure of the challenge posed by Paris 2024," said Berraf in his end-of-year letter.

"The $2 million (£1.65 million/€1.88 million) Paris 2024 athlete support programme budget, like those of previous editions, has already proven and will continue to prove it is worth its while."

African nations, of which approximately half are Francophone, will be preparing for the first French-speaking Summer Games since 1976 in Montreal.

Berraf also mentioned 2023 as a year for the African Youth Games in Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo and the African Beach Games in Tunisia.

Ghana is to hold the 2023 African Games, but these are organised by the African Union and not ANOCA.

The ANOCA head stressed the need to look beyond the continent too, saying competing internationally will continue to be a challenge.

"Outside the continent, the participation of Africa in major sporting events to be organised this year across the world will also challenge us," Berraf added.

"Our continent will have to be very present in great numbers, and perform well to earn respect and get exposure.

"This is why we are clamouring for the enhancement of living together. 

"We will also continue to implement our strategic development plan launched since the beginning of this quadrennial. 

"We will continue to brace for Paris 2024 in a serene and efficient manner for our continent to put up a good show at that event."

At the re-arranged Olympic Games in Tokyo last year, Kenya emerged as the best African representatives.

They won four gold medals - all in athletics. 

The Kenyans won gold in the men and women’s marathon and added the men’s 800 and women’s 1500 metres events to give them 19th place in the overall medals table.

Overall, seven African countries won gold medals at Tokyo 2020 with Uganda claiming two, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia and Tunisia one each. 

Other notable developments from ANOCA highlighted in Berraf's letter included the building of new NOC headquarters, with the National Olympic Committee of Sierra Leone set to benefit from a new building in Freetown.

The achievements of African athletes at the World Athletics Championships were noted, as was the run to the semi-finals by the Moroccan men's national team at the FIFA World Cup - the first time an African nation had made the final four.

The postponed 2026 Youth Olympics - which were initially set to take place in Dakar this year - were mentioned as only being three years away in 2023.

"In 2023, we will be exactly three years away from the Dakar 2026 Games," wrote Berraf.

""We will then have to speed up our preparations for the organisation of this great world youth jamboree in order to portray an even more positive image of our dear Africa."

Berraf is to remain ANOCA President until 2025, having been re-elected last year in an election against Burundia's Lysia Nsekera.