Inside SportsBiz Africa Forum 2026: Why the continent’s sports economy is finally being taken seriously
Umoja brought Pape Thiaw to Kigali. Here is what the forum revealed about the future of African sport.
Kigali, September 10-11, 2026.
For two days at the Kigali Convention Centre, the third edition of the SportsBiz Africa Forum brought together an unusually direct conversation, one the continent has been circling around for years. Not about talent. Not about trophies. About money, systems, and power.
Christian Gakwaya, CEO of Rwanda Events Group, set the tone from the opening session: “It’s time for a shift.” Africa produces world-class athletes. It does not yet capture world-class economic value from them. The gap between the two is where SportsBiz Africa lives.
Why we were there
Umoja has been building cross-continental partnerships across sports, hospitality and public affairs for several years. SportsBiz Africa is one of the few forums where those conversations happen at the right level, with policymakers, investors, federation leaders and entrepreneurs in the same room, over two focused days.
This year, we brought Pape Thiaw to Kigali.
As former head coach of the Senegalese national team, champions of Africa, winners of the CHAN, Thiaw carries both credibility and candour. His session focused on what African sport actually needs to compete globally: leadership systems, institutional accountability, and sustainable development pathways that outlast any individual coach or cycle.
His presence opened conversations that went beyond the panel. He visited the Rwandan U20 national team in camp, was received by the Rwandan Football Federation, and stopped at the Dream Team Football Academy in Kigali. A reminder that the forum’s real value often happens in the margins.
What the forum told us about 2026
Three themes stood out across the two days.
Africa is moving from dialogue to infrastructure. SportsBiz Africa announced a shift to a year-round platform, meaning the conversation continues between editions. The days of annual forums that produce declarations without follow-through are numbered.
Investment is arriving, but unevenly. The forum’s Dealroom sessions made clear that capital is entering African sport, but concentrating in football and a handful of markets. The opportunity in disability sport, women’s sport and under-represented disciplines remains largely untouched.
The Gulf-Africa corridor is real. Qatar’s delegation at last year’s Doha preview event, the presence of Gulf-based stakeholders in Kigali, and the positioning of events like SportsBiz within the broader calendar of Dakar 2026 (Youth Olympic Games) all point to a deepening axis between Gulf investment and African sport infrastructure.
What comes next
Umoja’s role is to be at these intersections, not as observers, but as connectors. Bringing the right people into the right rooms, at the right moment.
SportsBiz Africa 2026 confirmed that the moment for African sports business is now. The question is whether the ecosystem, investors, institutions, advisors, can move fast enough to match it.
office@umojaqa.com
