As the Basketball Africa League (BAL) 2026 Playoffs continue to light up Kigali, another important conversation took place away from the court on Tuesday during the 2026 bal Innovation Summit where leaders from sports, technology, business, aviation and culture spaces gathered to discuss how basketball can help shape Africa’s economic and creative future. As the 2026 Basketball Africa League Playoffs continue to captivate fans in Kigali, another important conversation unfolded away from the court on Tuesday during the 2026 BAL Innovation Summit, where leaders from the worlds of sports, technology, business, aviation and culture gathered to explore how basketball can help shape Africa’s economic and creative future. Among the key speakers at the summit were Clare Akamanzi, CEO of NBA Africa, BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall, and Pascale Umugwaneza, First Vice-President of FERWABA and a member of the FIBA Central Board. “We are not just building a league. We are building an ecosystem where sport, technology, business and culture come together to shape Africa’s future,” Akamanzi said. ALSO READ: Side events lined up during BAL playoffs The summit highlighted how the BAL has evolved beyond a basketball competition into a broader platform for innovation, investment and cultural influence across the continent. Through partnerships with companies such as Amazon Web Services, ServiceNow, Afreximbank, GreenRide Africa and RwandAir, league officials stressed the importance of innovation, sustainability, fan engagement and long-term economic investment. Akamanzi explained that the next phase of BAL’s growth will focus on building sustainable sports businesses capable of attracting long-term investors and franchise ownership. “The opportunity in Africa is not just to host events but also to build sustainable and investable sports businesses,” she noted. ALSO READ: RSSB Tigers edge out FUS Rabat to join Al Ahly in BAL semifinals Reflecting on the BAL’s journey — which began long before the league officially launched in 2019 — Fall said the project was built gradually through grassroots investment, basketball development programmes, women’s basketball initiatives and partnerships with governments and schools across Africa. “We knew what we had here: the talent,” Fall said. “And when you start to have leadership at the highest level, infrastructure and investment around the game, the sky becomes the limit.” One of the key discussions at the summit centred on the BAL’s planned transition into a franchise model, which Fall described as the next major step toward creating stronger local ownership, operational excellence and year-round economic activity around basketball. “Right now, we are the league and we are the teams,” he explained. “We want to move into a place where teams can take on most of the operational management and truly become economic powerhouses in their cities.” The proposed franchise model could eventually allow African cities to host regular home-and-away games, strengthening fan identities while generating economic opportunities linked to arenas, tourism and entertainment. The summit also explored how sports can serve as a bridge between industries beyond basketball. Yvonne Makolo, CEO of RwandAir, emphasized the role of connectivity in helping the BAL expand its continental footprint through travel, tourism and business partnerships. “For us, success means connecting these markets, reaching more people and growing with the BAL ecosystem,” she said.
