When it comes to sports sponsorship in Africa, brands and organizations hailing from the continent are increasingly looking outwards to increase their exposure on the world stage.
The ensuing sponsorship campaigns are coming in many forms – from tourism, agencies looking to rebrand their destinations through the use of top-flight English football teams, to tech companies investing heavily in Corporate Social Responsibility. When it comes to in-continent brands thinking globally, sports sponsorship in Africa is having a moment.
Read on to find out how just some of Africa’s brands are increasing their influence worldwide via sports sponsorship…
Arsenal FC x Visit Rwanda
The sports sponsorship deal between Arsenal FC and Visit Rwanda caused a stir last year when it was revealed that the east African tourism board had signed a £30 million contract – https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/29/rwandas-30m-arsenal-sponsorship-divides-opinion– to appear on the shirts of the Premier League team’s firsts, Under 23s, and women’s teams – https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/13/football/arsenal-rwanda-deal-premier-league-spt-intl/index.html – It’s hoped that the deal could double Rwanda’s tourism revenue, to $800 million.
The relationship with Arsenal is part of an ongoing effort from Rwanda to rebrand itself as one of Africa’s top tourist destinations, focusing on spreading the word about its native gorilla population and how visitors to see these animals in their natural habitat.
Football Association of Ireland (FAI) x SportPesa
In March, ahead of the start of the EURO 2020 qualifying campaign, Kenya-based entertainment company SportPesa announced its sponsorship of the FAI, in a two-year deal that will focus on CSR. It follows on from a similar deal with Cork City, which is still running and is focused on responsible betting.
SportPesa’s sponsorship interests don’t only lie with Ireland, though – they also have sponsorship campaigns – https://sponsorship.org/sportpesa-announced-as-new-fai-partner/ – running in English football, with Arsenal, Hull City, Southampton and Everton, and are also title sponsors of the Silverstone-based Racing Point F1 Team.
Racing Point F1 Team x SportPesa
The Racing Point F1 Team deal is of particular interest to us, as motorsport fans. The multi-million-pound deal is a lucrative one for the team formerly known as Force India – in just a few short years SportPesa has become the largest betting company in Africa, with community-focus a key facet of its business. With its current partnerships, its growth only looks set to continue.
Investec x GB and England Women’s Hockey
The South African financial services company has a huge amount of campaigns pushing sports sponsorship in Africa, and elsewhere in the world. One of these is their sponsorship of both the England and GB women’s hockey teams – https://www.investec.com/en_gb/sponsorships/hockey-uk.html – which works to bolster emerging talent in the sport as well as support those at the highest levels.
Investec x 2019 Super Rugby Fixtures
Rugby is a huge draw for audiences across the Southern Hemisphere, from Argentina to South Africa to Australia and New Zealand, and Investec has leveraged this opportunity by working with these rugby nations to create a championship that pits the “best of the best” against each other.
Will we see African companies sponsoring MotoGP?
Sports sponsorship in Africa is a growing industry, so we might not see African companies investing in international motorsports championships such as MotoGP quite yet – but with multiple opportunities, the example set by emerging economies in Asia, and upcoming African motorsports stars such as Red Bull KTM’s Brad Binder, it’s certainly an area that we’ll be keeping an eye on over the next few months and years.
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