DAKAR – The Basketball Africa League (BAL) and Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners (ESP), an organization investing in entrepreneurs and working towards sustainable transformation through the deployment of scalable and innovative solutions, today announced a partnership that makes ESP an official partner of the BAL and the league’s Country Partner in Rwanda.

The announcement was made today by BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall and ESP CEO Eric Kacou at a launch event at Kigali Arena in conjunction with the 2022 BAL Playoffs and Finals, which tipped off Saturday and will culminate with the second BAL Finals on Saturday, May 28 at 6:00 p.m. CAT / 12:00 p.m. ET.

Through the partnership, the BAL and ESP will provide youth and entrepreneurs in Rwanda with learning and development opportunities, basketball training and life skills sessions.  As part of the partnership, ESP will bring together 150 graduates and entrepreneurs from Rwanda for the “Sports Business Future Stars Camp,” a weeklong professional development program and immersion into Africa’s sports industry that will be held in Kigali this week.

“We are very excited to partner with ESP, who share our commitment to inspiring, empowering and developing the next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders in Africa,” said Fall.  “Ultimately, our goal is to build the BAL into a world-class professional basketball league that will be an anchor for the robust sport business industry we want in Africa.  The BAL’s impact is felt far beyond the court, and the Sports Business Future Stars Camp will be a great platform to use the transformative power of basketball to bring together young leaders from different backgrounds and provide them with the tools to excel.”

“Rwanda has made significant strides in launching its sports industry, and this immersive program in sports training will unleash the potential of youth to secure dignified jobs in the industry,” said Kacou.  “Our ultimate goal through this groundbreaking partnership with the BAL is to develop a new generation of sports leaders for Africa.”

ESP joins the BAL’s roster of world-class marketing partners, which includes Foundational Partners New Fortress Energy (NFE), Rwanda Development Board (RDB), NIKE, Jordan Brand and Wilson, and official partners Air Senegal, Attorney General Alliance (AGA) – Africa, Destination Senegal, Envol City and Hennessy.

The expanded 2022 BAL season features the top 12 club teams from 12 African countries playing a total of 38 games in three cities over three months: Dakar (March 5-15); Cairo, Egypt (April 9-19); and Kigali (May 21-28).  In the semi-finals on Wednesday, May 25, Cameroon’s F.A.P. will play Angola’s Petro de Luanda at 6 p.m. CAT / 12 p.m. ET and Egypt’s Zamalek will play Tunisia’s US Monastir at 9:30 p.m. CAT / 3:30 p.m. ET for the chance to advance to the 2022 BAL Finals, which will air in Africa on ESPN, Canal+, VisionView TV and Voice of America (VOA) radio, and around the world on American Forces Network (AFN), ESPNews, NBA TV International, Tencent Sports, TSN, the NBA App, NBA.com and NBA.com/BAL.  Tickets are on sale now in several categories, including group tickets, premium tickets and standard tickets.  Fans can purchase tickets by visiting bal.nba.com/bal-kigali-ticketing.

About ESP
Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners (ESP) is a consultancy firm that aims to enable innovative and scalable solutions to build prosperity. Our mission is “to foster entrepreneurial solutions for prosperity.” ESP enables people, firms, institutions and nations to articulate and implement solutions to their economic challenges. With offices in Abidjan and Kigali, ESP has been in operation since 2011 and has supported more than 1,000 entrepreneurs in Africa. For more information, visit www.espartners.co and follow ESP at @ent4prosperity on Twitter and @espartners_official on Instagram.

About the BAL
The Basketball Africa League (BAL), a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the NBA, is a new professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa.  Headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, the BAL builds on the foundation of club competitions FIBA Regional Office Africa has organized in Africa and marks the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside North America.  Fans can follow the BAL (@theBAL) on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube and register their interest in receiving more information at NBA.com/BAL.