President Kagame Meets with NBA Africa Investors to Boost Basketball Development
President Paul Kagame met with a group of 11 key sports investors on the evening of May 24, 2025, at BK Arena in Kigali, during Day 5 of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) games. The meeting focused on strengthening the development of basketball across Africa, with a special emphasis on the BAL’s growing impact.
Among the high-profile attendees were Masai Ujiri, President of the Toronto Raptors and founder of Giants of Africa, who has made significant investments in Rwanda’s sports infrastructure, including the recently completed Zaria Court facility in Kigali. He also plans to build 1,000 basketball courts across Africa.
Also present was former NBA star Luol Deng, now an influential sports entrepreneur in Africa, alongside BAL President Mamadou Gallo Fall, NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi, Rwanda’s Minister of Sports Nelly Mukazayire, and other stakeholders.
The meeting highlighted basketball’s potential to drive both social and economic growth on the continent. NBA Africa recently revealed that BAL alone has generated $250 million over four years, with a bold goal of reaching $4.5 billion in the next decade.
The final group-stage matches of the Nile Conference are being played this Sunday, with APR Rwanda facing Nairobi City Thunder and Al Ahly Tripoli clashing with South Africa’s MBB Blue Soldiers.
