Harnessing the power of soccer: How Africa can leverage the sport for growth and development
African counties can invest in a wide range of tourism opportunities to initiate and boost development strategies, and sports tourism is one of them.
Sport can potentially be an engine that can drive socio-economic growth in Africa. The continent has produced some top athletes in different sports, especially soccer. Players such as Sadio Mane, Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Mohamed Salah, and Ryad Mahrez are examples of top-tier talent the continent has produced.
The continent has a lot of skills and talent, but it lacks the infrastructure to support it. In this sense, African governments need to take the necessary steps to prioritize sports as a key driver for economic growth. Sports have the potential to generate billions in revenue, as seen in Europe and the USA. Africa has seen a glimpse of this through sport betting operators who generate billions in revenue. The big question is how Africa can improve economic growth by harnessing the power of soccer.
Leveraging the Value Chain of Sports
African countries can leverage the value chain of sports to promote economic growth and development. The sports industry offers multiple commercial opportunities that African leaders can explore to promote economic empowerment.
The African Development Bank president, Mr. Akinwumi Adesina, recently claimed that Africa needs a profitable sports value chain. The president also claimed that it is about time Africa stopped exporting its sports talent. Instead, he challenged Africans to invest massively in sports infrastructure across the continent.
One of the things Africa must do is develop its leagues that can attract a massive following on TV, radio, and other media channels. Promoting the African leagues will open up other economic opportunities, such as merchandise sales, ticket sales, and promotions.
Sports Tourism in Africa
Sports and tourism are significant contributors to social and economic development in many jurisdictions. African counties can invest in a wide range of tourism opportunities to initiate and boost development strategies, and sports tourism is one of them.
Sports tourism has emerged as one of the fastest forms of tourism globally. Sporting events usually attract tourists and participants who support local businesses in different forms. Take the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as an example. The event created about 130,000 construction jobs and 415,000 indirect jobs.
Therefore, Africa can boost sports tourism by leveraging soccer events. For instance, they can create relations with European leagues that would see them play friendly matches in Africa. Rwanda signed a deal with Arsenal in 2018, making Visit Rwanda the club’s official tourism partner and the first shirt sleeve partner—the promotion aimed to promote Rwanda as a tourist destination for Arsenal global fans.
Bottom Line
African countries, investors, the business community, the diaspora, and sports professionals should pool resources to make Africa a sporting hub. The critical things they will have to focus on include the following:
- Establishing a robust economic environment
- Improving sports and other infrastructure across the continent
- Create a stable political environment that would allow sporting investments to thrive
- Strengthening participation in sporting activities to ensure they can host them successfully.
A great place to start is the 2023 Netball World Cup in South Africa and the World Road Cycling Championships in Rwanda, to be held in 2025. It’s time for this sleeping giant to arise!
