Eco from here eco from elsewhere

Sport in Africa: a gold mine for investors?

The Basketball Africa League, modeled on the NBA, wants to contribute to the socio-economic development of the African continent.

© LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP

By: Bruno Faure Follow

1 min

How to attract investment to the African continent through sports activities and the spectacle offered in stadiums or on television?

Until now, football monopolized major projects, thanks in particular to major events such as the African Cup of Nations or continental club competitions.  

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But in recent years, other ideas have emerged.

On the model of the American NBA, the Basketball Africa League wants to give the orange ball better visibility and bring in money.

At the same time, partnerships are launched, such as the one that allowed the opening of a PSG Academy in Rwanda.

It offers training to young footballers, while the Rwandan government wishes to develop sports tourism. 

There are still many brakes that delay the economic development of sport, a vector of social inclusion, a concept nevertheless put forward by the major decision-makers, whether political or economic: the lack of management skills, the lack of links between the mass and elite sports, the shortage of suitable structures for young practitioners who are destined for a professional career. 

Our guests :

-

Mohsen Abdel Fattah

, Managing Director of ASCI (African Sports & Creative Institute), a non-profit institute whose vision is to make sports and the creative industries vectors of socio-economic development.

He is the coordinator of the book “ 

Economics of sport in Africa: realities, challenges and opportunities

 ”, published by Economica editions, with contributions from personalities such as Tidjane Thiam, Vera Songwe, Makhtar Diop and Didier Drogba. 

-

Hortense Diedhiou,

Senegalese judoka (three times African champion).

She is leading a sports-study center project in Casamance. 

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To read also on RFI:

Paris 2024: African athletes, from high level to entrepreneurship

.

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  • Economy

  • Africa

  • Sports

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