The NGO Giants of Africa, of the Vice-president and president of the Toronto Raptors, NBA champion, the Nigerian Massai Ujiri, brought together fifty young Beninese on Saturday August 6th at the Éya community center in Cotonou.
The meeting was an opportunity to instill in them the notions of the practice of basketball at the base. They did not fail to discover the many opportunities hidden in this discipline
Coached for two days by local technicians, these young people aged 14 to 17 received knowledge on two sections, in particular education and the visa game.
According to the director of the Africa academy and technical instructor at the NBA, Amadou Gallo Fall, this program allows young people on the continent to have opportunities through basketball and also to highlight the opportunities offered by discipline.
“Even if we don’t have a professional career, we are lucky to have opportunities”he said.
Volunteer today on the Benin camp and former participant on the Dakar camp, the Senegalese Aïta Ndiaye looks back on the opportunities she was able to seize in basketball.
“I couldn’t play professionally. But I worked with the Basket League Africa. I am in an American school. I traveled with UNSBA to Kenya to speak on behalf of youth to people on development”she hammered, indicating that she took part in the fundraising in the United States.
Promoter of the Èya community center in Cotonou, Lionel Talon stressed that this camp served a purpose for the participants. And to add that it is a source of pride to see them having fun with experienced supervisors.
The Ministry of Sports of Benin, Oswald Homéky, said that the project is finally successful for the happiness of Beninese basketball and especially for young people. Benin is becoming more and more a big country with talents, concluded the sports boss.
Jules ETCHO
