More than 80 delegates from 71 countries are due to attend, making the three-day meeting the biggest international meeting ever held in the West African country.

 

It was at last year’s General Assembly in Colombo, Sri Lanka, that Glasgow won the right to host the 2014 Games, defeating the bid from the Nigerian city of Abuja.

 

Last week the CGF Co-ordination Commission visited Delhi as part of its regular monitoring of progress, and its head, Austin Sealy, will also report to the assembly.

 

But he was highly critical of the preparations and warned that a legal row over the location of the Athletes' Village could see India being stripped of the Games if the courts ordered it to be moved.

 

India also recently played host to the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, where all countries and territories of the Commonwealth were represented, and the Isle of Man has already been selected to host the 2011 version.

 

Samoa is the sole candidate for the 2015 Youth Games and it is expected that the assembly will ratify its candidature.

 

It will be a big event for the Pacific Island, which has a population of less than 200,000.

 

It hosted the South Pacific Games in 2007.

 

This will be the first CGF assembly to be held in Africa since Kenya was the host 22 years ago.

 

The CGF president Mike Fennell said: “We believe it is very important that we move around all the Commonwealth countries.

 

"Not all countries can host the Games, or even the Youth Games, but taking the general assembly around our member countries means we engage more of the Commonwealth in our activities, and plans

 

"It also provides the host country with a wonderful opportunity to promote itself as a tourist destination.”