By Kevin Rademeyer, Sports Journalist.
Photo Credit: Basketball African League.
The Basketball Africa League is expanding its community footprint across West Africa with the refurbishment of six basketball courts in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Senegal.
The project supports NBA Africa’s commitment to build or renovate 1,000 courts across the continent over the next decade, with the upgraded facilities expected to benefit thousands of young people and community members each year.
The first two courts were unveiled last week in Saint Louis, Senegal, and Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Further openings are scheduled in Dakar, Joal and Guédiawaye in Senegal, as well as Owerri in Nigeria, through December.
The refurbishment programme is being supported by PETROSEN, Qatar Foundation, the Ville de Dakar, Wave Côte d’Ivoire and Woodside Energy.
Each facility has received improvements to playing surfaces, spectator areas and basketball stanchions, while selected venues have also been upgraded with new lighting, changing rooms and sanitation facilities.
The project also includes the BAL’s first BAL4HER courts on the continent, with facilities in Guédiawaye and Owerri specifically designed to expand opportunities for women and girls in sport.
“The newly refurbished courts reflect our commitment to investing in communities and making the game more accessible to young people across Africa,” BAL president Amadou Gallo Fall said.
“Together with our partners, we are creating spaces where the next generation of African basketball players, fans, and changemakers can grow, connect and thrive.”
In Abidjan, the renovated court at Groupe Scolaire Lac in Koumassi is expected to serve almost 3,000 players each week, including 2,500 students. It will also host a basketball development programme for 300 girls aged 18 and under from eight schools.
In Joal, a coastal community on Senegal’s Petite Côte, the refurbished facility will provide improved access to organised sport, while the Dakar court will become a year round recreational hub following upgrades including a scoreboard, storage facilities and perimeter fencing.
The Guédiawaye project, supported by Qatar Foundation, will become the first BAL4HER court in Africa. The indoor facility will accommodate basketball, volleyball and handball while also providing space for leadership workshops, life skills training, education, health and nutrition programmes.
A second BAL4HER court will open in Owerri, Nigeria, in December. The project will be supported by two time WNBA All Star and BAL ambassador Chiney Ogwumike and her Queens of the Continent organisation.
The Owerri facility already serves more than 300 participants across Imo State and will receive improvements to its changing rooms, bathrooms, lighting and drainage.
The latest projects underline the BAL’s growing focus on using basketball infrastructure not only to develop players, but also to create spaces for education, community engagement and wider youth development across Africa.