The Basketball Africa League (BAL) is refurbishing six basketball courts across Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria as part of a wider effort by NBA Africa to expand access to sports infrastructure for young people and communities across the continent.
The courts are being upgraded in partnership with organizations including PETROSEN, Wave Côte d’Ivoire, Ville de Dakar, Woodside Energy and Qatar Foundation. Collectively, they are expected to serve thousands of young people and community members each year.
The initiative supports NBA Africa’s commitment to build or renovate 1,000 basketball courts across Africa over the next decade.
The first two refurbished courts were unveiled in Saint-Louis, Senegal, on September 30 and Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on October 3. Additional facilities are scheduled to open in Senegal’s Joal, Dakar and Guédiawaye, as well as Owerri, Nigeria, through December.
Each project includes improvements such as playing surfaces, basketball stanchions and spectator seating, while some locations are also receiving upgraded lighting, changing rooms, sanitation facilities and other community amenities.
“These newly refurbished courts reflect our commitment to investing in communities and making the game more accessible to young people across Africa,” BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall said.
Six courts, different community roles
In Saint-Louis, the renovated indoor court at Université Gaston Berger will provide students and the wider community with a modern venue for basketball and community programmes.
In Abidjan, the refurbished court at Groupe Scolaire Lac in Koumassi is expected to serve nearly 3,000 players each week, including about 2,500 students. It will also host a basketball development programme for 300 girls aged 18 and under from eight schools.
The Joal court, scheduled for unveiling on October 7, is being developed as a community sports facility in the coastal fishing town. Its launch will include a basketball clinic for 100 boys and girls aged 16 and under.
In Dakar, the refurbished outdoor court along the Atlantic coastline will feature a scoreboard, storage facility and perimeter fencing. Its inauguration will coincide with the finals of the BAL City Run, a tournament involving 12 local teams.
The Guédiawaye facility, scheduled to open on October 30, will become the first BAL4HER court in Africa. The indoor venue will support basketball, volleyball and handball, while also providing spaces for leadership, education, life-skills, health and nutrition programmes aimed at promoting opportunities for women and girls.
In Owerri, Nigeria, the second BAL4HER court in Africa is scheduled to be unveiled in December. The facility currently serves more than 300 participants across Imo State and is being upgraded with improved changing rooms, bathrooms, lighting and drainage.
The Owerri launch will be supported by Chiney Ogwumike, a two-time WNBA All-Star and BAL ambassador, through her nonprofit organization, Queens of the Continent.
The projects reflect a broader shift in African basketball development, with investment increasingly extending beyond elite competitions to the courts, schools and community spaces where young players begin their sporting careers.
