Ferwaba set to gain from NBA Africa partnership

NBA Africa has laid out a foundation to start collaborating with the Rwanda Basketball Federation (Ferwaba) to promote the game in the country. As one of the most successful countries in the East and central African region, Rwanda has represented the Zone 5 area four consecutive times at the Fiba Afrobasket championships including the 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013 editions. In an exclusive interview with Times Sports, the vice president of NBA Africa Amadou Gallo Fall said, “We know that there is a lot of interest across the region. We were in Kigali three years ago with Luol Deng (Miami Heat) for Sprite clinics and we saw a lot of passion in the young people that we had in the camp.” “The Rwanda Basketball Federation is very dynamic and we want to be part of that. We definitely realize the potential that is in this region and we are looking forward to starting programs and continue to take steps to grow the sport here,” he explained. NBA Africa set up an office in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010 headed by Amadou, who had earlier worked as the vice president of international relations at the Dallas Mavericks. His vision in Africa was and is still to grow the game at the grassroots level on the continent and has so far seen tremendous success. Through the Basketball without Borders (BWB), a global basketball development program set up by the NBA and FIBA, NBA Africa has been able to promote the sport and encourage positive change in the areas of education, health and wellness. Phenias Bagabo represented Rwanda this year at the BWB in Johannesburg and notably national team shooting guard Pascal Karekezi attended the 2011 edition.