Latest news with #ClareAkamanzi
Zawya
6 days ago
- Sport
- Zawya
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) to Host First Basketball Without Borders Camp in East Africa
The National Basketball Association (NBA) ( and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) today announced that the 21 st Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa camp will be held at Petit Stade in Kigali, Rwanda, from Saturday, August 23 – Tuesday, August 26, marking the first time that the NBA and FIBA's global basketball development and community outreach program will be held in East Africa after previous editions in Angola, Egypt, Senegal and South Africa. BWB Africa 2025 will bring together 60 of the top male and female players ages 18 and under from across Africa to learn directly from current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players, legends and coaches and compete alongside their peers from across the continent. The campers and coaches, who will be announced prior to the camp, will also take part in life-skills, leadership development and social responsibility programming. 'Basketball Without Borders Africa continues to provide a platform for top young players from across the continent to continue their development and reach the highest levels of the game,' said NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi. 'We look forward to bringing this year's camp to East Africa at a time when there is incredible momentum around the game in the region.' 'Basketball Without Borders plays a pivotal role in the region's basketball development, providing top young talent with access to elite coaching and valuable growth opportunities,' said FIBA Head of Players Unit, Kimberley Gaucher. 'Hosting this edition in Rwanda is particularly significant, as the country has established a strong footprint in African basketball over recent years, having hosted a FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying tournament last year, celebrated four Basketball Africa League Playoffs and Finals from 2021-2024, and also as host for both the boys' and girls' FIBA U-16 AfroBasket tournaments and a Regional Youth Camp this year, further underscoring its growing prominence on the continent.' BWB Africa 2025 will be supported by Nike, a global partner of BWB since 2002, which will outfit participants with Nike apparel and footwear. BWB has reached more than 4,600 participants from 144 countries and territories since 2001, with 142 former campers drafted into the NBA and WNBA or signed as free agents. Fourteen former BWB Africa campers have been drafted into the NBA and WNBA since the first BWB Africa camp in 2003, including 2023 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2011), 2019 NBA champion Pascal Siakam (Indiana Pacers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2012) and 2025 No. 10 overall pick Khaman Maluach (Phoenix Suns; South Sudan; ties to Uganda; BWB Africa 2023). Seventy-two former BWB Africa campers have been featured on Basketball Africa League rosters over the league's first five seasons. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of National Basketball Association (NBA). Contact: Chumani Bambani, NBA Africa, cbambani@ +27 65 548 1031 About NBA Africa: NBA Africa is an affiliate of the National Basketball Association (NBA), a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. NBA Africa conducts the league's business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League (BAL), and has opened subsidiary offices in Cairo, Egypt; Dakar, Senegal; Johannesburg, South Africa; Lagos, Nigeria; and Nairobi, Kenya. The league's efforts on the continent have focused on increasing access to basketball and the NBA through youth and elite development, social responsibility, media distribution, corporate partnerships, NBA Africa Games, NBA Stores, the BAL, and more. NBA games and programming are available in all 54 African countries, and the NBA has hosted three sold-out exhibition games on the continent since 2015. The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and NBA Africa, is a professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa that concluded its fifth season in June 2025. Fans can follow @ NBAAfrica on Facebook and YouTube, @ nbaafricaofficial on Instagram, @ NBA_Africa on X, and @ theBAL on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.
Zawya
18-02-2025
- Business
- Zawya
NBA Africa and Safaricom's M-Pesa Launch League's Most Expansive Youth Development Program in East Africa to Date
NBA Africa and Safaricom (NSE: SCOM- the region's leading technology company, on Saturday launched the M-PESA Jr. NBA program that will provide basketball development and financial literacy programming to more than 10,000 boys and girls in Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret, and Kisumu, marking the league's most expansive youth development program in East Africa to date. The first year of the M-PESA Jr. NBA program, which tipped off with a clinic for more than 100 local coaches at SABIS International School in Nairobi, will consist of four regional tournaments for youth ages 13-16 in Nairobi (Feb. 22-23), Mombasa (March 8-9), Eldoret (March 15-16) and Kisumu (March 22-23). In each city, 20 boys' and 20 girls' teams will participate in skills development sessions and competitive games. The top 80 players will then be grouped into four boys' teams and four girls' teams that will play games in a round-robin format. The top 16 boys and girls from each city will be selected to attend an elite top 100 camp at Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa in April. In addition to the basketball development programming, M-PESA, Safaricom's innovative mobile payment platform, will host financial literacy workshops for the participating youth, empowering them to develop healthy financial habits. 'Tipping off our multiyear collaboration with Safaricom is an important milestone in our ongoing efforts to make basketball more accessible to Kenyan boys and girls,' said NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi. 'We look forward to positively impacting youth and coaches across the country through basketball development and life-skills programming.' 'Our collaboration with NBA Africa could not have come at a more opportune moment, as Safaricom's M-PESA will celebrate its 18 th anniversary this March, marking a significant milestone in our journey,' said Safaricom CEO Dr. Peter Ndegwa. 'Through M-PESA Go, this collaboration transcends beyond basketball. It is driven by a shared vision to create a lasting impact, not only in sports but also in the broader context of youth empowerment. We are committed to nurturing potential, building character, and equipping the next generation with the tools necessary for success. We firmly believe that the association between M-PESA Go and the Jr. NBA program can pave the way for growth and financial health, enabling young athletes to develop their skills and seize opportunities at the next level.' Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Basketball Africa League (BAL). About NBA Africa: NBA Africa is an affiliate of the National Basketball Association (NBA), a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. NBA Africa conducts the league's business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League (BAL), and has opened subsidiary offices in Cairo, Egypt; Dakar, Senegal; Johannesburg, South Africa; Lagos, Nigeria; and Nairobi, Kenya. The league's efforts on the continent have focused on increasing access to basketball and the NBA through youth and elite development, social responsibility, media distribution, corporate partnerships, NBA Africa Games, NBA Stores, the BAL, and more. NBA games and programming are available in all 54 African countries, and the NBA has hosted three sold-out exhibition games on the continent since 2015. The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and NBA Africa, is a professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa that will tip off its fifth season in April 2025. Fans can follow @ NBA_Africa ( and @ theBAL ( on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube. About Safaricom: Safaricom is the leading telecommunication company in East Africa. Our purpose is to transform lives by connecting people to people, people to opportunities, and people to information. We keep over 45.9 million customers connected and play a critical role in the society, supporting over one million jobs both directly and indirectly while our total economic value was estimated at KES 393 billion ($3.1 billion) for the 12 months through March 2022. Listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange and with annual revenues of close to KES 335.4 billion as of March 2024, Safaricom provides connectivity through wide range of technology, 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G in aggregate covering over 99% of Kenya's population. Safaricom is an equal opportunity employer, actively recruiting staff from different backgrounds reflecting the communities that we serve. We are committed to equal gender representation at all levels. Our target is to achieve 50:50 senior management gender parity by 2025. As part of our ongoing commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we continue to work towards improving energy and resource efficiency in our network and facilities to reduce carbon emissions and our fuel consumption. We remain committed to becoming a Net Zero carbon-emitting company by 2050.
