AFCON2023: AFREXIMBANK, CAF AND RAF PARTNER TO POSITION FOOTBALL AS A LEVER FOR GROWTH AND PROMOTE GENDER INCLUSIVITY

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank or “the Bank”), the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) and the Rebranding Africa Forum (RAF) on the sidelines of the semi-finals of the 2023 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), signed a charter that will allow them to collaborate in positioning football as a lever for growth and to promote inclusivity in football on the continent.
It is expected that the potential of the sport industry on African livelihoods will grow by 8% over the next 3-5 years to reach USD 12 Billion in 2027 and, in football, over 500 African players are contracted across 11 prominent European leagues. Furthermore, the continent accounts for a vibrant youth population, that is key and strategic in driving the growth of the sector.

The charter will allow the Bank, CAF and RAF to focus on critical areas requiring improvement so as to build a robust sport economy, such as, sport infrastructure, advocating for more favourable policies and capacity building. The charter will also pave way for a concerted effort in propelling women’s football forward, given this untapped potential of the industry.
Through its Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) initiative, Afreximbank would work with CAF and RAF to commercialize and monetize Africa’s football value chain so that CAF events can become a platform for an integrated promotion and commercialization of Africa’s creative and cultural industry.
While commenting on the event, Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank said: “Africa is home to many globally accomplished sports men and women. There is still room to nurture more talent for the benefit of our economies. At Afreximbank, we are cognizant of the unlimited potential of this industry, that is why, we are aiding the CANEX initiative in actively supporting the sector through focussed interventions such as financing, talent management, capacity building, skills development commercialization and access to market and policy advocacy among others. We welcome this unique and potentially impactful collaboration with the CAF and Rebranding Africa Forum which complements and amplifies our effort allows the partners to make CAF events engine for trade and development on the continent.