celebrity radar - gossips
The Shameful Export of African Glory: Why Can’t Africa Host Its Own Championship Games?
The Shameful Export of African Glory: Why Can’t Africa Host Its Own Championship Games?
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com
In a world where sports serve as both a symbol of national pride and a multi-billion-dollar industry, Africa shamefully continues to be nothing more than a talent supplier and spectator. Our athletes are celebrated in foreign lands, our dancers perform at global halftime shows and our footballers bring in millions to European clubs; but when it comes to hosting the world’s greatest sports championships, Africa is nowhere to be found.
The question is not rhetorical anymore: Why can’t Africa organize and host its own world-class championship games? Must we always dance to the tunes of Europe, America and the Middle East, while begging for inclusion on platforms built with the very muscles of our people?
This is not a logistical problem. This is a psychological, cultural and leadership crisis.
Africa: A Giant Whose Feet Are Tied. Africa, home to 1.4 billion people, has the youth, the energy, the weather, the space and the passion to dominate the global sports scene not just with players, but as organizers, curators and hosts. Yet, major continental sporting events like the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), All-Africa Games and even athletics meets are often plagued with poor funding, last-minute preparations and international ridicule.
Meanwhile, the Middle East is rewriting the sports playbook. Qatar hosted the most expensive World Cup in history in 2022 and Saudi Arabia is now the face of boxing, UFC, Formula One and even wrestling. They built stadiums from scratch, created partnerships with top athletes and are now bidding to host the Olympics.
What do we do in Africa? We wait to be invited. Or worse, we export our best talents to fill up the rosters of European and American sports leagues.
As South African sports analyst Robert Marawa once said:
“Africa’s greatness is undeniable, but our leadership and vision in sports are embarrassingly absent. We keep giving birth to gold but dying in poverty.”
Sports As Business, Not Just Entertainment. The global sports industry was worth $512 billion as of 2023 and continues to grow rapidly. From broadcasting rights to tourism, merchandise, digital media, sponsorships and job creation, the ripple effects of hosting games are massive. Hosting even a mid-size international championship generates billions in revenue and global visibility.
Take the Barcelona 1992 Olympics; before the event, Barcelona was a gritty, underdeveloped port city. After hosting the Olympics, it was reborn into a major global tourist destination. South Africa’s 2010 FIFA World Cup was another case. Despite criticisms, it put the country on the map as a sports and tourism destination and created jobs, infrastructure and business opportunities.
So why can’t Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Ghana or Algeria lead the way in establishing Africa’s own championship legacy?
Our leaders don’t believe in Africa.
Excuses, Excuses and More Excuses. The most common excuses for Africa’s inability to host major games are:
Lack of infrastructure
Security risks
Corruption and mismanagement
Poor planning and organization
These are not permanent obstacles. They are problems created by bad leadership and sustained by apathy. Other continents also faced these challenges. Yet, they rose above them. Africa, on the other hand, seems content with excusing incompetence rather than solving it.
Adewale Ajadi, a Nigerian development strategist, once said:
“We cannot outsource our pride. We cannot wait for Europe or America to validate us. African dignity begins with African ownership.”
From Talent Exporters to Event Organizers. Let us be honest: Africa has always produced talent. From Haile Gebrselassie to Eliud Kipchoge in long-distance running, from Victor Osimhen to Didier Drogba in football, from Francis Ngannou in MMA to Hakeem Olajuwon in basketball, the world celebrates African excellence.
Where are the African-hosted arenas showcasing this excellence?
Why must African boxing champions fight in Vegas or Jeddah?
Why must top African footballers play the UEFA Champions League and not an African Football Super League?
Why must athletes break world records in Zurich, not Nairobi or Lagos?
It is time Africa stopped exporting glory and started hosting greatness.
What Needs to Be Done is to Create the African Championship Games (ACG). A biennial, pan-African event that includes athletics, football, boxing, tennis, wrestling and martial arts. Rotated between capable nations, funded by both public and private sectors.
Establish a Sports Development Fund
Managed by an independent continental body, this fund would provide long-term investment into stadiums, training centers, logistics, athlete welfare and local federations.
Leverage Africa’s Billionaire Class. Men like Aliko Dangote, Patrice Motsepe and Strive Masiyiwa must be challenged to sponsor sports events, build stadiums and support leagues just as their Western counterparts do.
Build Continental Media Powerhouses. Africa must stop relying on foreign broadcasters like Supersport or ESPN. Let us fund continental networks that cover and promote African games across the continent and the diaspora.
Develop Sports Academies and Infrastructure. If Saudi Arabia can build a futuristic city like NEOM, Africa can surely build stadiums, athlete hostels and sports universities.
Involve the African Diaspora. The African diaspora (especially in the U.S. and U.K.) has the skills, funding and media know-how to help build a sustainable sports ecosystem back home.
Time to Wake Up, Africa. Africa does not need foreign validation to be great. What we need is self-respect, unity and vision. The youth of Africa are not LAZY. They are not UNTALENTED. They are just UNDERVALUED and UNDERFUNDED.
We cannot continue to stand on the global podiums with our flags waving high, yet have no stadiums back home to train. It is a contradiction. It is a shame.
As Ghanaian football legend Abedi Pele once said:
“If Africa can produce the best players in the world, then Africa can also host the best tournaments. We just need to believe in ourselves.”
The Final Whistle. Africa’s pride cannot be bought with foreign invitations, medals or television rights. It must be built BRICK by BRICK on AFRICAN SOIL, by AFRICAN HANDS, for AFRICAN PEOPLE.
We can either keep exporting our glory and begging for a seat at someone else’s table or we can BUILD our own TABLE, our own GAMES, our own LEGACY.
The choice is ours.
LET US RISE. LET US HOST. LET US OWN.
Written by George Omagbemi Sylvester
Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com
celebrity radar - gossips
BUA Chairman Abdul Samad Rabiu Records Africa’s Biggest Wealth Surge, Net Worth Hits $11.2bn
BUA Chairman Abdul Samad Rabiu Tops Africa’s Wealth Gains in the 2026 Forbes Rankings as His Fortune Jumps 120% to $11.2 Billion, Rising to 3rd Place; Aliko Dangote Remains No.1
Billionaire Industrialist, Philantropist, and Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, has emerged as Africa’s biggest wealth gainer in the 2026 Africa’s Richest People ranking published by Forbes, after his net worth rose sharply over the past year.
According to the latest Forbes list, Rabiu’s wealth surged 120 percent to $11.2 billion, representing the largest increase recorded among the continent’s billionaires in the latest ranking. The jump moves Rabiu, who is Nigerian, to third place among Africa’s richest individuals, up from sixth position a year ago.
The rise in Rabiu’s fortune was driven largely by the strong performance of BUA Cement, his flagship publicly listed company, whose shares surged by 135 percent over the past year. The rally significantly outpaced gains in the broader Nigerian Exchange, which has itself recorded strong growth amid improving investor confidence.
Forbes estimates Rabiu’s net worth at $11.2 billion, placing him behind luxury goods tycoon Johann Rupert, whose fortune is estimated at $16.1 billion, and Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote, who retains the top position with an estimated $28.5 billion.
Rabiu’s rise underscores the growing influence of Nigeria’s industrial sector and the expanding footprint of BUA Group, which has built major operations across cement manufacturing, food processing, sugar refining, infrastructure, mining and energy.
The latest Forbes ranking also highlights a broader surge in wealth across Africa’s billionaire class. The continent’s 23 billionaires now hold a combined net worth of $126.7 billion, representing a 21 percent increase from the previous year, as major equity markets rallied and regional currencies stabilised.
Nigeria remains one of the continent’s leading centres of billionaire wealth, accounting for four individuals on the list, including Dangote, Rabiu, telecommunications magnate Mike Adenuga, and energy investor Femi Otedola.
Forbes said the 2026 ranking was calculated using stock prices and exchange rates as of March 1, 2026, with privately held companies valued using comparable industry benchmarks.
Rabiu’s leap in the ranking reflects not only the strong performance of BUA Cement but also the broader momentum of Nigeria’s capital markets and the continued expansion of large scale industrial enterprises across Africa’s largest economy.
Analysts say the development signals growing investor confidence in African manufacturing and infrastructure driven businesses, sectors that are increasingly central to the continent’s economic transformation.
celebrity radar - gossips
COAS Ties Battlefield Success to Constitutional Allegiance and Civil Authority
COAS Ties Battlefield Success to Constitutional Allegiance and Civil Authority
During his operational visit to the 4 Special Forces Command in Doma, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, delivered a stark message, intertwining the elite unit’s combat effectiveness with an unshakeable pledge of allegiance to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Nigerian Constitution.
While directing troops to intensify high-impact operations, the COAS made it clear that their mission is a direct expression of their constitutional oath. He reaffirmed that the Nigerian Army’s primary role is to defend the nation against external aggression and provide aid to civil authority, all in strict adherence to the supreme law of the land and under the leadership of the Commander-in-Chief.
This emphasis on loyalty served as a powerful backdrop to his operational directives. By linking the “decisive defeat” of terrorists to the Army’s constitutional mandate and loyalty to the President, Lt. Gen. Shaibu sought to galvanise the Special Forces, framing their upcoming engagements not just as military objectives but as a sacred duty to the democratically elected government and the nation’s founding charter. The message was clear: their fight is a fight for the Constitution and the president it empowers.
celebrity radar - gossips
Mercy Johnson Okojie, Purity Okojie Lead Campaign for Girls Tag’s All-in-One Period Care Kit
*Mercy Johnson Okojie, Purity Okojie Lead Campaign for Girls Tag’s All-in-One Period Care Kit
iBlend Services, appointed Regional Agency for Girls Tag alongside its PR and marketing firm, Eddie MPR, has officially launched Girls Tag, described as Nigeria’s first all-in-one period care pack designed for girls aged nine and above.
The initiative seeks to tackle persistent gaps in menstrual health education and access to sanitary products in Nigeria, where many girls experience their first period with little preparation or guidance. According to the promoters, Girls Tag was created to eliminate the fear, confusion, and stigma often associated with puberty, replacing them with confidence, comfort, and dignity.
Beyond hygiene, the brand positions itself as a supportive care system for both girls and parents, offering tools and language to guide families through early puberty conversations.
To strengthen its reach, Girls Tag announced a strategic ambassadorial partnership with Nollywood actress and philanthropist Mercy Johnson Okojie and her daughter, Purity Okojie. The mother-daughter collaboration is intended to reflect authenticity and relatability for Nigerian families navigating similar experiences.
Speaking on the partnership, the leadership of iBlend Services expressed confidence that the ambassadors’ real-life connection would resonate deeply with mothers and daughters nationwide.
Mercy Johnson Okojie, in her remarks, described the initiative as a natural fit, noting that puberty can be an anxious period for both parents and children. She also revealed that her newly authored puberty guide, Youberty, will be included in every Girls Tag kit. The book is designed to help boys and girls aged 10 to 13 better understand the physical and emotional changes that come with growing up.
Each Girls Tag care pack contains premium sanitary pads in various sizes, overnight period pants, panty liners, disposable sanitary bags, a discreet sanitary purse, and a copy of Youberty. The kit is tailored to support first-time and early period experiences while promoting proper hygiene and self-care.
The company disclosed that the product will be available nationwide in Q2 2026 at select retail stores, pharmacies, and malls, with direct delivery options through its website and social media handle, @girlstag.ng.
With its combined focus on education, dignity, and accessibility, Girls Tag aims to reshape menstrual health support for young girls across Nigeria.
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