Sport plays an important role on the African continent. Beyond performance and entertainment, sport is also a vehicle for economic and social development for young people, a vehicle for inclusion, cultural influence, and diplomacy.
Even though there is a brain drain of local talent, sporting events are flourishing and stakeholders are multiplying initiatives, thereby contributing to the construction of an ecosystem on the continent and the gradual emergence of an African sports market capable of reaching out internationally.
Following recent announcements concerning the development of basketball, MMA, and tennis on the continent, local governments are investing in the development of infrastructure to host major sporting competitions.
In Côte d'Ivoire, the project to build the Ebimpé stadium is well underway. The infrastructure is intended to host the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations matches. Located in northern Abidjan, the new stadium will have a capacity of 60,000.
More recently, on February 20, Senegalese President Macky Sall announced the official launch of construction work on a soccer stadium in the city of Diamniadio. This new 50,000-seat stadium, named the "Stade du Sénégal," will host the next Youth Olympic Games in 2022. The city of Diamniadio will thus become a major sports hub, which, in addition to the new stadium, is home to the Dakar Arena, another sports infrastructure project.
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