Sport Nigeria Ltd/Gte, a pioneering organization dedicated to revolutionizing the sports industry in Nigeria, has announced plans to host the "Sports Africa Investment Summit" in November 2024.
This groundbreaking event, scheduled for November 19th and 20th, aims to unite investors, sports infrastructure stakeholders, and value chain providers to promote the development of sports goods and services across Africa.
According to Nkechi Obi, CEO of Sports Nigeria Ltd/Gte, the summit will serve as a catalyst for fostering domestic consumption of locally-produced sports content in Africa.
"We want to aggregate, facilitate and enable investments into the sports industry value chain and deliver commercial and social impact benefits to industry stakeholders and consumers," she emphasized.
"In Nigeria alone, over 10 million talented footballers exist, yet Europe can only absorb a fraction of them. Without robust industry development, we risk perpetuating a cycle of talent exploitation akin to a second slavery," cautioned Nkechi.
The summit's mandate is to generate an estimated 3 million jobs over the next decade and create 3,000 community facilities, thereby stimulating economic growth and retaining talent in Africa.
"Our mandate is crystal clear: to aggregate investments that facilitate the development of vital sports infrastructure, ensuring that Nigeria's sports industry generates an estimated 3 million jobs over the next decade, alongside the creation of 3,000 community facilities," Nkechi explained.
This historic announcement coincides with the Africa Soft Power Summit, a renowned event advancing African leadership across key socio-economic spheres.
Notable speakers at the event include H.E. Dr. Joyce Banda, Former President of Malawi; Honourable Sandrine Umutoni, Minister of State for Youth & Arts, Rwanda; HRH Nnaemeka A. Achebe, Obi of Onitsha; Temi Popoola, CEO, Nigeria Exchange Limited; Uche Ofodile, CEO, MTN Benin; Nana Baffour, Co-Founder, NVH Studios and Executive Chairman, Enda; Michaella Rugwizangoga, Chief Tourism Officer, Rwanda Development Board; Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, Executive Chairman & Founder of Africa Prosperity Network, amongst others.
The Sports Africa Investment Summit marks a pivotal step towards reshaping Africa's sports landscape and harnessing the continent's immense potential.
As Nkechi asserted, "The Sports Africa Investment Summit marks a pivotal step towards reshaping Africa's sports landscape and harnessing our continent's immense potential."
