Basketball Experience: A positive effect for 68,000 young people in Morocco and Nigeria
The Basketball Experience programme for education through sport in Africa is part of the “Sport and Development” partnership signed in June 2018 between AFD and the NBA, the world’s premier basketball league.
It aims to create dynamics to promote sport in the schools and cities of the four countries of operation. But one of its objectives is also to rouse the interest of public authorities, communities and families, and raise awareness among them of the benefits of regular sports activities on the health and personal development of young people, in particular girls.
By involving around fifty coaches and several hundred teachers, the programme has reached thousands of students in Morocco and Nigeria. In these two countries, Basketball Experience has benefited almost 68,000 young people, with as many girls as boys. 120 schools have been involved, 403 teachers trained, and 56 coaches trained.
Sustainable facilities provided by the NBA
The NBA has renovated two outdoor basketball courts in Morocco and Nigeria. To leave a lasting legacy to the host countries of the programme, these courts have been systematically integrated into urban areas lacking sports facilities and with populations comprising diverse social groups (vulnerable classes and middle classes). The objective is to promote social diversity through sport.
“For the basketball court in Zenata, we wanted to give a social purpose to the facilities by installing them close to slums, but also by integrating them into a coastal park which we know is popular with other types of groups. The idea is to make the facilities available to all social classes, but without creating a form of self-segregation, without ghettoising the facilities.” An institutional partner in Morocco
A very positive effect on the life skills of 68,000 young people…
The mid-term evaluation of the programme, which focused on the first two countries of operation, Morocco and Nigeria, was delivered in April 2024. It demonstrates that the programme has had a positive impact and been well received by educational stakeholders. The decision to focus on the target areas due to real social and educational problems, along with the assurance of its easy deployment and outreach potential, has meant that the programme has been firmly established, well received by educational stakeholders, and supported by local institutional partners.
Basketball Experience has also had very positive socio-educational effects on the students. In terms of life skills, all the stakeholders who were met said that the programme had unquestionably had a significant effect on the acquisition and development of psychosocial skills (self-confidence, public speaking, positive and non-violent communication, handling emotions), as well as on the students’ health when they take part in activities over time.
“My coaches listen to me and praise me more than my teachers. It makes me smile when I get compliments” A young boy recipient in Nigeria
…and on their schooling
In terms of educational success, the programme may not directly improve academic performance, but it does contribute to students’ success by improving their attendance and punctuality, their attitudes in class, and their learning skills. In addition to encouraging young people to stay in school after the lessons, the project also indirectly limits drop-outs and truancy among the beneficiaries, as they need to be present when the school day starts, and therefore attend the lessons, to be able to take part in the activities.
“I have a student who now listens in class and accepts authority. It’s a real change in attitude which will allow him to make progress” A teacher in Nigeria
Coaches trained to take on a new role
The training courses for the coaches have generally enabled them to take on a new role with the students they coach during the sessions. They are used to talking about sport, but several of the coaches trained said that they were now able to discuss students’ needs beyond sport. The professionals involved in the programme are now more well-rounded and try to go further than the sporting purposes of basketball to support the development of life skills through the sport played by users. They are also in a position to detect social, family and health problems among the users.
“Now, when I speak about the students’ schooling, I try to understand their problems both in and outside school. I’ve understood that my role was no longer so much about making the students better at basketball, but more about helping them move forwards as young men or young women. The training has been a real eye-opener for this and has especially given me what I need to play an effective role in the success of this mission.” A coach in Morocco
Following four years of implementation in Morocco and Nigeria, the Basketball Experience programme will be officially launched in two new countries in July. In Kenya and Senegal, Expertise France will once again be working with civil society organisations to train coaches and supervise basketball activities for girls and boys. The NBA will also once again finance the renovation of two basketball courts, in Guediawaye in Senegal and in Nairobi in Kenya.