The Basketball Africa League (BAL) has announced a multi-year agreement with Flutterwave, making the payments technology provider a BAL associate partner.
The new professional league’s inaugural season kicked off yesterday at the Kigali Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, with 12 teams from across Africa playing. On Sunday, May 30, the first BAL Finals will be held.
Flutterwave, which was established in 2016 and was recently named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Companies, offers groundbreaking payment solutions to over 290,000 businesses and has infrastructure in 33 African countries.
Through the launch of a digital campaign, the partnership will leverage the BAL and Flutterwave’s mutual dedication to driving economic growth across the continent by allowing select African entrepreneurs and small businesses to travel, interact, and engage with other African markets.
“As a lifelong basketball fan, I am thrilled that we will be able to partner with the BAL as it begins its inaugural season,” said Ifeoluwa Orioke, Flutterwave Chief Commercial Officer. “Africa is progressing, and now is the time to capitalize on young people’s excitement to unite the continent and open doors for young Africans through sports.”
BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall said, “Technology plays an important role in basketball and our ability to make our content and goods available and easy for fans to consume.” “This partnership also reflects our desire to participate in industries that will form the continent’s economic development, promote entrepreneurship, and improve the continent’s global position.”
The national league champions of Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tunisia qualified for the inaugural season. The remaining six teams, from Algeria, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, and Rwanda, qualified for the BAL through FIBA Regional Office Africa’s BAL qualifying tournaments held across the continent in late 2019.
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