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National Basketball Association (NBA) Africa Donates Indoor Basketball Court to Rwanda Basketball Federation
Newly-Refurbished Court will Provide More Opportunities for Thousands of Rwandan Youth to Learn and Play the Game
The game continues to grow in Rwanda, and this new space will provide more aspiring players with the opportunity to learn and play the game in a safe environment
NBA Africa (www.NBA.com) today donated a newly-refurbished indoor basketball court in Kigali, Rwanda to the Rwanda Basketball Federation (FERWABA).
The court, which will benefit more than 4,000 youth from Kigali and the surrounding communities, was unveiled at a ceremony held at Lycée de Kigali today by Rwandan Minister of Sports Aurore Mimosa Munyangaju, FERWABA President Desire Mugwiza, NBA Africa CEO Victor Williams, NBA Africa Head of Strategy and Operations George Land, and NBA Africa Head of Basketball Operations Franck Traore.
“This project was undertaken to strengthen the ongoing partnership between NBA Africa and Rwanda Basketball Federation, and to provide top-notch infrastructure for talented and aspiring basketball players to nurture and showcase their skills and abilities,” said Mugwiza. “We have made it our utter responsibility with the support of our partners to continue investing in court infrastructure development until the basketball of Rwanda soars to greater heights. This is just the beginning.”
“Donating this newly-refurbished basketball court to the Rwanda Basketball Federation speaks to our longstanding commitment to make basketball more accessible to the youth of Africa,” said Williams. “The game continues to grow in Rwanda, and this new space will provide more aspiring players with the opportunity to learn and play the game in a safe environment, through our Jr. NBA program.”
The new court builds on NBA Africa’s previous youth development programming in Rwanda, including Jr. NBA camps and clinics that integrate life-skills seminars focused on health and wellness, leadership development, teamwork and communication, and will serve as the hub for the ongoing and future Jr. NBA programs in Kigali.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of National Basketball Association (NBA).
Rwandan Ministry of Sports, NBA Africa, and FERWABA host a ribbon cutting ceremony on the newly-refurbished basketball court in Kigali. Image source: NBA Africa
Contact:
Chumani Bambani
NBA Africa
+27 65 548 1031, cbambani@nba.com
About NBA Africa:
NBA Africa is a standalone entity formed in May 2021 that conducts the NBA’s business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League (BAL) and the league’s entities in Cairo, Egypt; Dakar, Senegal; and Lagos, Nigeria. The NBA has a long history in Africa and opened its African headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010. 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 Store, the BAL, and more. Last year, NBA Africa reached more than eight million youth across the continent through basketball development, life-skills programming and social media engagement.
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 third season in March 2023. Fans can follow @NBA_Africa and @theBAL on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.