Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Basketball Africa League (BAL) has announced a multi-year partnership with Flutterwave, making the payments technology company an associate partner of the newly inaugurated league.
The BAL season kicked off on Sunday at the Kigali Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, with 12 teams from across Africa competing in the new professional league and the first BAL Finals will be held Sunday, May 30.
Flutterwave, which was founded in 2016 and recently named among Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Companies, provides innovative payment solutions to more than 290,000 businesses and has an infrastructure reach in more than 33 African countries, including Rwanda, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
The partnership will leverage the BAL and Flutterwave’s shared commitment to driving economic growth across the continent through the launch of a digital campaign that will provide select African entrepreneurs and small businesses with the opportunity to travel, connect and engage with other African markets.
Speaking on this, Flutterwave Chief Commercial Officer, Mr Ifeoluwa Orioke, stated that, “As a lifelong basketball fan, I am excited that we are able to team up with the BAL as it tips off its inaugural season.
“There’s progress going on in Africa, and this is the time to tap into the enthusiasm of young people to unite the continent and open doors for young Africans through sports.”
On his part, the President of BAL, Mr Amadou Gallo Fall, said, “Technology plays an important role in basketball and our ability to make our content and products accessible and convenient for fans to consume.
“This partnership also reflects our ambition to play a role in the industries that will shape the continent’s economic growth, facilitate entrepreneurship and strengthen the continent’s position on the global stage.”
Champions from the national leagues in Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia earned their participation in the inaugural season.
The remaining six teams, which were picked from Algeria, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique and Rwanda, secured their participation through BAL qualifying tournaments conducted by the Federation of International Basketball Association (FIBA) Regional Office Africa across the continent in late 2019.
