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African Collaborations Group (ACG) (www.ACGafrica.com), the leading strategic project origination and collaboration platform focused on the industrialisation of sport in Africa through the origination of bankable sport and entertainment district ecosystems, today welcomed the publication of \u201cUnlocking the Potential of Sport in Africa,\u201d a landmark 356-page report published jointly by the World Bank, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the Agence Fran\u00e7aise de D\u00e9veloppement (AFD), with contributions from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), and Laureus Sport for Good.<\/p>\n
Read the full report: https:\/\/apo-opa.co\/4k4Fluu<\/p>\n
The report, co-introduced by Makhtar Diop, Managing Director of the International Finance Corporation, and Christophe Lecourtier, Director General of the AFD, represents the most comprehensive analysis ever produced on the economics of sport in Africa. It draws on original survey data from nine African countries, a mapping of sport policies across nearly twenty governments, and a systematic review of the academic evidence on the impact of sport on development.<\/p>\n
ACG welcomes the report because its central findings and recommendations validate the model ACG was founded to deliver.<\/p>\n
The report confirms that Africa\u2019s sport economy represents less than 1% of the continent\u2019s GDP, compared with approximately 2.5% in Europe, representing a significant and largely untapped opportunity for growth. It identifies the lack of integrated infrastructure as one of the primary barriers to unlocking that potential.<\/p>\n
On stadium infrastructure, the report warns explicitly against the risk of \u201csignificant underutilisation\u201d of stadiums built for major events, stating that jobs created by major sporting events are \u201cgenerally temporary, linked to the construction of infrastructure,\u201d and that economic returns are \u201cvery localised, unevenly distributed across populations, and not durable in terms of employment, skills development, or infrastructure use.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report\u2019s recommendations call for exactly the model ACG is building:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Developing legacy strategies from the preparatory phase, including impact and legacy plans before construction begins, clarifying governance of infrastructure after the event, and using sport infrastructure as a lever for employability, entrepreneurship, and training.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Connecting sport, tourism, transport, hospitality, media, security, and local entertainment to transform temporary visitor flows into lasting economic benefits.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Developing public-private partnerships where the public sector provides the land, the institutional framework, and accessibility objectives, while the private sector contributes expertise in construction, management, programming, and maintenance.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Promoting local SMEs and structuring a sport value chain close to local demand, retaining in Africa a greater share of the value created by sport.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Investing in training for sport-adjacent professions: infrastructure management, maintenance, events, security, audiovisual, marketing, and sports animation.<\/p>\n
Every one of these recommendations describes a dimension of ACG\u2019s Victory District\u2122 model: integrated, mixed-use sport and entertainment districts combining 15 to 20 asset types, from stadiums and arenas to hotels, conference centres, training academies, retail, entertainment, cinemas, restaurants, residential, commercial offices, schools, and media production facilities, designed to generate revenue 365 days a year. ACG invests at the pre-development stage, creating the conditions for institutional and private investors to finance projects that are bankable and financially sustainable.<\/p>\n