The eight-nation tournament starts in Senegal on November 28, with the top three sides qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
Da Gama says the current conditions in Johannesburg are similar to what they will experience in West Africa.
“We are happy with the week we have had; our main focus was building the mental toughness of the players,” ‘ODG’ says.
“We have taken advantage of the heat wave by training in these hot conditions and playing on average pitches throughout the week because those are some of the factors we will come across in Senegal.
“Playing in the humidity and heat of West Africa has never been an easy task, but this week has helped us to be mentally prepared."
The Under-23s will play a practice match against Mamelodi Sundowns tomorrow morning at Chloorkop.