Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe says the delayed Africa Cup of Nations will go ahead as planned.

Speculation has persisted in recent weeks that the finals would be delayed or cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic while there have also been doubts about Cameroon's capability to successfully host the tournament.

But Motsepe has looked to allay those fears by confirming the tournament will go ahead as planned with Cameron's curtain raiser against Burkina Faso on track to take place on January 9.

"I will be in Cameroon on January 7 with my wife and kids to witness this incredible competition," Motsepe told reporters.

"You can see that there's a huge commitment and a focus to make sure that there's good progress.

"We are going to host with the people of Cameroon an exceptional tournament. It will be the most successful AFCON. We are ready to show the world the best of African football and African hospitality.

"This tournament is important for the people of Africa and I'm so proud and so excited with the work done.

The 59-year-old says Africans must be confident of hosting one of the most prestigious tournaments on the international football calendar.

"We have to believe in our people," he added.

"We have to stop being the ones that lack confidence and are always expressing negative views of our people.

"All over the world there are competitions with challenges but we have to be more optimistic because sometimes we are over critical of ourselves.

"If we're not going to have confidence in what we do, who's going to have confidence in us?

"This is the generation where Africans must believe in Africans. We can host a football competition that's as good as you can see in Europe and the world."