About the Summit

Bringing together the best football and sports industry minds and those passionate about transforming our game on the continent, the Africa Football Business Summit (AFBS) is set to be a highlight in the 2024 calendar.

In its third edition, the 2024 Summit, to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, on the 24th and 25th of October 2024, will provide a catalyst for sustainable and innovative football and sports development in Africa. AFBS also facilitates the timeous enhancement and long-term growth of the regional football landscape as Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda prepare to co-host the 2027 AFCON for the first time.

Significant developments shaped by global economic changes, geopolitical maneuvers and technological innovations continue to impact football and sports business. As such, we must step away from the pitch to analyse these developments as we strive to build a thriving and sustainable football industry.

Africa Cup of Nations 2023

The recent AFCON 2023 held in Côte d’Ivoire has been described as one of the “best tournaments in the world”, marking an inflexion point for African football with increased global attention. Record-breaking viewership numbers, social media engagement, sponsorship, and partnership deals evidenced this. 2023 also saw the launch of the Africa Football League (AFL), which promises to change the trajectory of club football on the continent.

The World Cup 2030 is set to land in Africa for the second time, as Morocco (alongside Spain and Portugal) co-hosts this global mass-audience showpiece. Morocco will also host WAFCON 2024 and AFCON 2025. These developments depart from the traditional view of Africa as a labour provider and media consumer within the global football industry.

We are experiencing exciting times for the African football industry, and with suitable collaborative investment, the growth can be exponential.

“Unlocking Africa’s Youth Potential – Sport and Social Innovation at Play”

Our aim is to contribute to legacy creation – an African legacy. The game of football is our vehicle for driving social and economic impact through innovative and sustainable practices while captivating the world with our diverse African culture. The opportunity for the strategic play and leveraging of sports and social innovation allows us to unlock Africa’s youth potential – for the long term!

This year’s Summit and agenda are deeply rooted in sustainability and have a fervent commitment to address crucial socio-economic and environmental issues across the continent.

Under the theme “Unlocking Africa’s Youth Potential – Sport and Social Innovation at Play”, the 2024 Africa Football Business Summit will continuously remind us to build for the future together!

Collaborative development is essential for our success, with conscious consideration for the various stakeholders within the sporting ecosystem. By re-engaging key sector role-players and enhancing structures, systems and operations, we can create shared value and meaningful impact. The Summit will put a spotlight on nurturing the foundations of governance, education, inclusion and representative story-telling, thereby allowing us to explore and embrace the benefits of digitisation and technology freely.

Objectives

1

Provide a platform for Africa’s football management community to discuss the game’s future in Africa, highlighting critical issues for stakeholders to address.

2

Bring together governments, private sector, and academia stakeholders to understand the football ecosystem and explore synergies and collaborations to develop football across the continent.

3

Provide a platform for the football communities, primarily clubs and academies, to showcase their work, share knowledge and source for investment.

4

Provide a platform for local, regional and international service providers to showcase their products and source for opportunities in the growing African sports industry.

5

Facilitate dialogue to improve football governance in Africa and foster collaborative development of the African football industry at local, regional and continental levels.

6

The 2024 to 2026 editions of the Africa Football Business Summit will provide a platform to showcase the progress toward AFCON 2027, highlighting opportunities for the different stakeholders.

Kenya

The Football Foundation for Africa proposes Kenya as the host of the second Africa Football Business Summit host, following a successful inaugural edition. Kenya is a great sporting nation. The country is best known for its award-winning athletes who scoop several awards at the Olympics and other international meetings worldwide. However, despite athletics being almost synonymous with Kenyan sports, there is much more on offer to the sporting enthusiast, football being the most popular.

Kenya provides a vibrant business environment and a rich and diverse culture, not to mention a well-developed tourism and hospitality sector. We plan to infuse these qualities into the conference in setting the tone to transform the continent’s most popular sport.

The event will take place at the Weston Hotel, Nairobi.

Kenya, globally recognised for its athletic prowess, has a rich pool of talent in diverse sports disciplines. Football is Kenya’s #1 sport. The East African nation was once a football powerhouse but has regressed over the years due to governance issues and limited investment in football. One of the leading economies in Africa, Kenya is regarded as a sleeping giant, a description that can be extended to the African continent in the context of global football.

Kenya, therefore, is a fitting host for the inaugural Africa Football Business Summit. This event seeks to bring together the African football management community and salient stakeholders to address the game’s pressing issues and usher in a new era.