KIGALI — Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba has held fresh discussions with NBA Africa Chief Executive Officer Clare Akamanzi in Kigali as efforts continue to expand basketball development and create more opportunities for young people in Uganda. The meeting followed earlier engagements held in Uganda in March and focused on taking the proposed cooperation into a more structured phase. UPDF
A key area of discussion was the proposed establishment of a Junior NBA League in Uganda, working in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Sports. The initiative is intended to introduce more secondary-school students to structured basketball training and competition while creating a stronger pathway for identifying and developing young talent. UPDF
Gen. Kainerugaba has consistently emphasised that the value of such a programme goes beyond producing basketball players. During the earlier engagement with NBA Africa in Uganda, he said:
“Basketball has strong potential to contribute to youth development in Uganda and inspire young people through sport.”
The proposed Junior NBA League would also place emphasis on teamwork, discipline, leadership and hard work, using sport as a platform for developing both talent and character among young Ugandans.
The Kigali discussions also considered the wider development of Uganda’s basketball ecosystem, including grassroots structures, professional pathways and opportunities linked to the growing sports economy. NBA Africa’s work across the continent includes basketball development, commercial partnerships, media distribution and programmes aimed at expanding opportunities for young people.
Uganda already has a growing footprint in continental basketball. City Oilers and Namuwongo Blazers have represented the country in the Basketball Africa League, providing Ugandan clubs and players with exposure at continental level. The next step is to strengthen the foundation beneath that level by giving younger players more organised opportunities to develop from school competition upwards.
The renewed engagement with Clare Akamanzi therefore builds on an ongoing effort to create a more sustainable basketball development structure in Uganda—one capable of identifying talent early, widening participation and opening clearer pathways into national, continental and professional competition.
The Kigali meeting formed part of Gen. Kainerugaba’s wider working visit to Rwanda, during which he also held engagements on bilateral cooperation and regional matters.
For Uganda’s young people, the discussions with NBA Africa carry a broader opportunity: using basketball not only as a competitive sport, but as a platform for discipline, leadership, exposure and long-term development.
