Our partnership with the Basketball
Africa League is a slam dunk
OUR FOUNDATION
Game on!
Since we became a Foundational Partner and Official Energy Partner of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) last year, we’ve been thrilled to support the action both on and off the court.
The BAL is a partnership between the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) marking the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside North America. The league features 12 club teams from countries across Africa.
Our partnership with the BAL is our first-ever collaboration with a sports league. Through it, we’re helping advocate for cleaner, more affordable energy solutions and increased awareness of environmental initiatives across Africa. Our logo is on the court at the Kigali Arena and on the uniforms of the 12 BAL teams, and our efforts are helping improve the quality of life throughout the continent.
One of our first collaborations with the BAL was “Threes for Trees,” an initiative supporting the international Trees for the Future organization that aims to donate more than 100,000 trees to African farmers and non-profit environmental organizations. Together, NFE and the BAL contributed three trees for every three-pointer made during the BAL’s 2022 season. And every time a fan shared, liked, commented, or retweeted a #BALGreen qualified social media post, another tree was donated. The players and coaches also helped plant trees and learned about the important role trees play in our ecosystem.
Throwing the ball to the region’s youth, we brought Special Olympics clinics and Junior NBA clinics to each BAL market to help engage the youth in developing skills for both basketball and life.
We’re also excited to help advance gender equality through the BAL, where Liz Mills, the league’s first female head coach, led her Moroccan AS Sale team to the finals. In conjunction with International Women’s Day, BAL4HER was launched as part of the league’s social justice pillars to promote female involvement in game operations and offer workshops about gender-based violence.
The BAL celebrated the continent’s diversity, passion, and strength through captivating cultural performances. Before the start of the 2022 season, NFE and the BAL hosted an Africa Youth Summit in Dakar, Senegal. Youth leaders, energy industry representatives, and other stakeholders discussed the link between clean energy, economic growth, and public health, with a focus on creating sustainable development and educational programs for African youth.
Of course, we were cheering on all the amazing teams in the BAL as well! In Season 2, the exciting 38 games encompassed 54 countries, 12 teams, two conferences, and one champion (US Monastir, Tunisia). The games were covered in 350 media outlets in 215 countries and territories in Africa and around the world, in 14 languages including English, Kinyarwanda, Kiswahili, and Arabic.
Talk about nothing but net. Together, our positive energy is making the world a cleaner and greener place!
