Africa Business of Sport Podcast

This is an episode of #WomenSportsDev, our ongoing series hosted by one of Africa's leading sports broadcasters, Shon Osimbo, which features insightful conversations with leading female sports executives, leaders and stakeholders about the development of women's sport in Africa and globally. In this episode, Senior Legal Counsel at Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), Prisca Mu...

In this episode, Edem and Jabu are joined by former Adidas SA Marketing Director and legendary rugby commentator, Gavin Cowley. In a wide-ranging interview, Gavin extensively reflects on his 25+ year service and association with Adidas SA, representing the Springboks in 1974 and 1976, commentating at the 1995 Rugby World Cup final, candid conversations with President Nelson Mandela about the futur...

In this episode, Founder & CEO of MIZIZI, Paakow Essandoh, reflects on the origin story of the official streetwear brand for the African diaspora, how MIZIZI struck an unprecedented licensing deal with Marvel Productions for the Black Panther movie, the inspiration behind the recently released South African baseball jerseys honouring the Springboks, and MIZIZI’s global distribution and sport partn...

From the 8th to 11th of December 2023, The Football Union will deliver The Showcase, an event that bring together emerging talent, local and international football clubs and scouts, and South African football legends. In this episode, Edem and Jabu are joined by Co-Owner of The Football Union, David Ribeiro, to unpack The Showcase which includes a 3-day residential camp programme, confirmed speake...

This is an episode of #WomenSportsDev, our ongoing series hosted by one of Africa's leading sports broadcasters, Shon Osimbo, which features insightful conversations with leading female sports executives, leaders and stakeholders about the development of women's sport in Africa and globally. In this episode, Shon and Edem are joined by Executive Director of Jomo Cosmos Women, Naadhirah Ally, to re...

In this episode, Edem and Jabu are joined by two-time Pulitzer Prize Nominee journalist and author of The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer, James Dorsey. In a wide-ranging interview, James examines how politics has shaped the history of sport in the Middle East, how the volatile geopolitical rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Qatar is playing out in football and what the Confederation of Africa...

On 12 October 2023, the Confederation of African Football unveiled Saudi Arabia's official tourism authority, Visit Saudi, as the main sponsor of the African Football League (AFL). The partnership promises to have a positive impact on "the development and global competitiveness of African football and Saudi tourism". In this bonus episode, Edem and Jabu examine the CAF statement anno...

In this episode, Edem and Jabu are joined by Chief Executive Officer of Africa Sports Ventures Group (ASVG), Leslie Koroma to discuss the evolution of African sports media, founding African Sports Monthly Magazine in 2010, applying global best practices to the African sport business and ASVG's long-term objectives for African sport development. ------------------- 📮Latest jobs in sport from Globa...

This is an episode of #WomenSportsDev, our ongoing series hosted by one of Africa's leading sports broadcasters, Shon Osimbo, which features insightful conversations with leading female sports executives, leaders and stakeholders about the development of women's sport in Africa and globally. In this episode, Shon and Edem are joined by Co-Founders of The Powerhouse Project, Rosie Kmita and Mollie...

This episode is part of our 3-part series focusing on the intersection of sustainability and sport on the African continent, in partnership with Sustainable Sport Africa, an organisation which seeks to transform Africa's sport ecosystem by interweaving sport and sustainability through collaboration, innovation and compelling narratives. In the final instalment of the series, Edem and Jabu are join...

In this episode, Edem and Jabu are joined by Chief Executive Officer of SportsUganda, Andrew Byekwaso, to discuss SportsUganda's overall mandate and pillars of its National Sports Development Programme, the particular needs and service gaps identified in sport and recreation provision in Uganda, innovative strategies to boost the commercialisation of sport in Uganda and whether the recently ra...

In this episode, Edem and Jabu are joined by Sponsorship Manager at 10Bet, Nick Moyo, to examine the value of football sponsorship as a marketing activity to betting brands in Africa, 10Bet’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, the betting company’s multifaceted sponsorship approach across the South African football ecosystem, and the strategic objectives behind 10Bet’s partnership with t...

This is an episode of #WomenSportsDev, our ongoing series hosted by one of Africa's leading sports broadcasters, Shon Osimbo, which features insightful conversations with leading female sports executives, leaders and stakeholders about the development of women's sport in Africa and globally. In this episode, CEO of Ssenide Foundation, Jean Ssenide, discusses her early introduction to playi...

This episode is part of our 3-part series focusing on the intersection of sustainability and sport on the African continent, in partnership with Sustainable Sport Africa, an organisation which seeks to transform Africa's sport ecosystem by interweaving sport and sustainability through collaboration, innovation and compelling narratives. In the second instalment of the #SSA series, Edem and Jab...

In this episode, Founder and CEO of Global Fan Network (GFN), Robbie Lyle, joins Edem and Jabu to discuss his experience of founding and building Arsenal Fan TV, how the partnership between GFN and Reactoo has developed a global community of fans and accelerated the scalability of FanZone, innovative monetisation strategies that content creators or sport organisations in Africa could adopt, how te...

In this episode, Edem and Jabu are joined by Managing Director of Pulse Sports, James Torvaney, to assess how the global trend of the convergence of sports media and betting is playing out in Africa, the strategic drivers and commercial value of sport stars like Kylian Mbappe and Memphis Depay spending their off-season in Africa, how sport properties and brands are leveraging the intersections bet...

This episode is the final part of our series dedicated to the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™. In this episode, Edem is joined by Jon Corbett, a banker turned sports content creator with a passion for women’s sports. Jon is the brains behind the “Outside Centre: Rugby’s new territories” podcast. The duo discuss the importance of leveraging on the success of the FIFA Wo...

This episode is part of our 3-part series focusing on the intersection of sustainability and sport on the African continent, in partnership with Sustainable Sport Africa, an organisation which seeks to transform Africa's sport ecosystem by interweaving sport and sustainability through collaboration, innovation and compelling narratives. In the first instalment of the series, Edem and Jabu are...

In this episode, Head: Media Leadership Think Tank at GIBS Business School and former Board Member at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Michael Markovitz, joins Edem and Jabu for an in-depth evaluation of the South African sport media and broadcasting landscape. Michael extensively discusses MultiChoice and SuperSport's historical monopoly over South African sport broadcasting...

On Tuesday, 5 September, media reports suggested that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) had unilaterally terminated its $415m broadcasting deal with Qatari media company, beIN Media Group, covering over 40 countries in beIN-controlled markets. In this bonus episode, Edem and Jabu discuss the impact that this broadcast contract termination may have on the commercial viability of AFCON 202...

In this episode, Chief Intelligence Officer at Twenty First Group, Omar Chaudhari, joins Edem and Jabu to understand the prospects of the African Football League (AFL) through the lens of Twenty First Group's models on developing a sport product which include the following key criteria: quality, jeopardy and connection. The trio also consider the AFL's path to unlocking its commercial valu...

In this bonus episode, Edem and Jabu briefly unpack CAF's recent announcement of the imminent launch of the African Football League by considering the innovative competition format and OTT broadcasting model, the commercial significance of the league's holding company AFL Ltd and Saudi Arabia's SRJ Sports Investments' potential involvement in the AFL. ------------------- ⭐ The best way to support...

In this episode, Founder & CEO of the African Warriors Fighting Championship (AWFC) joins Edem and Jabu to share his passion for Dambe and why he founded AWFC, the details behind AWFC's groundbreaking partnership with Stake.com and whether AWFC views other combat sport properties as competitors. At the end of the conversation, Maxwell also makes an exclusive announcement regarding AWFC's upcoming...

In this episode, Sports & Entertainment Business Developer, Tommy Makhobela, joins Edem and Jabu to reflect on his time as Strategic Partnerships Manager at RocNation Sports, Spur Steak Ranches' groundbreaking partnership with Spar Proteas captain Bongi Msomi and the established strategies used to develop athletes' brands through sponsorships and commercial partnerships. --------------...

This episode is part of our ongoing series dedicated to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand. The series will cover the on-pitch and off-pitch discussions, topics and events during the Women’s World Cup.  In this episode, Chairperson of the Nigerian Women’s Football League (NWFL), Nkechi Obi, returns to the podcast to reflect on Nigeria’s superb World Cup performance and NWF...