The Basketball Africa League (BAL) is expanding its investment in grassroots basketball with the refurbishment of six courts across Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria, creating new spaces for sport, youth development and community engagement.
The upgrades support NBA Africa’s wider commitment to build or renovate 1,000 basketball courts across the continent over the next decade. Collectively, the six refurbished facilities are expected to serve thousands of young people and community members each year.
The first two courts were unveiled in Saint-Louis, Senegal, on September 30 and in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on October 3. Further unveilings are scheduled through December in Dakar, Joal and Guédiawaye in Senegal, as well as Owerri, Nigeria.
The projects are being delivered in partnership with organisations including Société des Pétroles du Sénégal (PETROSEN), Wave Côte d’Ivoire, Ville de Dakar, Woodside Energy and Qatar Foundation.
Beyond resurfacing playing areas, the projects are designed to make the courts more functional community facilities. Improvements include new basketball stanchions, spectator seating, lighting, fencing and, at selected locations, upgraded changing rooms, sanitation facilities and meeting spaces.
In Saint-Louis, the refurbished indoor court at Université Gaston Berger is expected to provide students and the wider community with a modern venue for basketball and other community programmes. The facility is located in a city recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
In Abidjan, the renovated court at Groupe Scolaire Lac in Koumassi is expected to serve nearly 3,000 players each week, including about 2,500 students. The site will also support a basketball development programme for 300 girls aged 18 and under from eight schools, while hosting the Ligue Jeune youth competition on Saturdays.
The investment is also reaching communities where access to organised sports infrastructure has traditionally been limited. In Joal, on Senegal’s Petite Côte, the upgraded court will provide a new gathering space for young people, with the launch programme including a basketball clinic for 100 boys and girls aged 16 and under.
Dakar’s refurbished outdoor court, meanwhile, will sit along the city’s Atlantic coastline and serve as a year-round recreational and community venue. New fencing, storage facilities and an integrated scoreboard are expected to improve both the playing and spectator experience.
The BAL’s focus on inclusion is particularly visible in Guédiawaye, where the refurbished facility will become the league’s first BAL4HER court in Africa. The multi-sport venue will accommodate basketball, volleyball and handball, while also providing space for leadership workshops, life-skills training, education, health and nutrition programmes.
In Nigeria, a second BAL4HER court is scheduled to open in Owerri in December. Supported by BAL Ambassador and two-time WNBA All-Star Chiney Ogwumike and her nonprofit, Queens of the Continent, the facility currently serves more than 300 participants across Imo State. Renovated changing rooms and bathrooms, improved lighting and drainage will expand its role as a venue for organised sport and youth development.
For BAL, the court programme represents an investment that extends beyond the game itself. By improving access to quality sporting facilities and creating spaces for education, mentorship and community programmes, the league is positioning basketball infrastructure as part of a broader effort to connect sport with opportunities for young people across Africa.
BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall said the refurbished courts are intended to create spaces where young players, fans and community leaders can develop, connect and participate in their communities.
The latest projects underline the growing role of basketball development programmes in Africa, where investment in local facilities is increasingly being linked to talent development, women’s participation and wider community engagement.
