Amadou Gallo Fall’s Insights on Unlocking Sports Development in Rwanda

Amadou Gallo Fall, the President of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), has indicated that the advancement of basketball and sports in general requires good governance, similar to what Rwanda has achieved.

Amadou Gallo Fall is one of the African basketball leaders currently in Rwanda, where he is attending the preliminary games of the Women's World Cup taking place at the BK Arena.

In an interview with the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA), he discussed sports investment and the potential benefits it could bring to Africa specifically.

He mentioned that for basketball to reach its current level of development, it required significant effort and collaboration with the NBA (National Basketball Association) and FIBA (International Basketball Federation).

There was an awareness campaign that encouraged young girls and boys to engage in the sport, leading to the establishment of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) in partnership with FIBA four years ago.

Amadou said, “We are truly proud of the visible benefits being achieved, and now we can proudly say that we have an event that the whole world is watching. Many are curious about the innovations this league will bring as it enters its fifth season.”

“Sports is one of the pillars of development that can contribute to economic growth, especially in Africa. It wasn’t always like this, but we are now pleased that everyone sees it.”

He continued, “For instance, Kigali has developed into a hub of major global events. We know this is what we envisioned when we started the competition during the pandemic (Covid-19). With modern BK Arena,it’s exemplary leadership that understands what sports can do for Rwanda’s economy.”

He added that this is evident without needing to look far, as the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying event is being held in Kigali for the first time on the continent.

Actwally Amadou believes that basketball federations should work diligently, similar to how FERWABA (Rwanda Basketball Federation) and South Sudan have done, which will yield results soon.

 Another area that needs focus is sponsorship, where he urged entities like Bank of Kigali and MTN Rwanda to invest in sports and contribute to its development.

Amadou Gallo Fall, the President of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), who was appointed by the NBA (National Basketball Association) in 2019, is pleased with the progress of the sport both in Rwanda, Africa, and globally