The Zone 3 women's youth and junior tournaments of the IHF Trophy Africa were staged in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire from 20 to 24 April 2025, with Burkina Faso winning the junior (Under-19) competition and Nigeria sealing the gold medal in the youth (Under-17) competition.

Seven teams entered the fray in the junior competition, being divided into two groups, one of four teams and one of three teams. Hosts Côte d'Ivoire were in Group A, alongside Ghana, Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic, finishing on the top place, with a 26:22 over Burkina Faso, a 31:12 win over the Central African Republic and a 33:18 win over Ghana.

Burkina Faso finished second and progressed to the semi-finals, after wins against Ghana (29:26) and the Central African Republic, 23:16.

In Group B, Nigeria finished first, with wins over Togo, 52:8, and Bening, 43:30, while Benin finished second, thanks to their 47:16 win over Togo.

The first two sides in each group progressed to the semi-finals, where Côte d'Ivoire secured a 34:22 win over Benin, but Nigeria were surprisingly defeated by Burkina Faso, 28:25, after Nigeria had a 14:11 lead at the break.

In the final, Burkina Faso shocked the hosts, Côte d'Ivoire, staging another comeback, after being down 12:15 at the break, to take an unexpected 32:31 win and secure the trophy.

In the bronze medal match, Nigeria beat Benin for the second time in three days, 31:19.

The youth competition saw the same seven teams battle for the trophy, with the same format applied as in the junior competition.

Hosts Côte d'Ivoire won Group B, with wins over the Central African Republic, 34:14, and Benin, 28:25, with Benin ending up on the second place, thanks to a 41:13 win over the Central African Republic.

In Group A, Nigeria secured the first place, after winning against Togo, 53:21, Burkina Faso, 36:33, and Ghana, 35:24. The second place was clinched by Burkina Faso, which won against Ghana, 41:27, and Togo, 42:10.

In the semi-finals, Nigeria dominated Benin, 39:29, but the hosts, Côte d'Ivoire, needed a great finish to take a 27:26 win over Burkina Faso and qualify for the final.

But they had no chance against Nigeria, which secured the trophy, with a 37:31 win, after dominating the entire match, with Benin finishing second, thanks to a 40:39 win in the bronze medal match.

Nigeria’s youth team and Burkina Faso’s junior team qualified for the Continental Phase of the IHF Trophy Africa.

Photo credit: Dje Guillaume / Cote d'Ivoire Handball Federation