The agreement, signed on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum, aims to catalyse job creation for youth and unlock a new asset class within Africa’s rapidly growing creative economy. Through this partnership, the IFC and Zaria Group, co-founded by NBA Champion Masai Ujiri, will establish a “platform approach” to building commercially sustainable venues that serve as anchors for local industries.
While this new “Zaria District Platform” looks toward continental expansion, its foundation is built directly on the success of Rwanda’s sports-led development model.
The Kigali blueprint
The new continental agreement comes less than a year after the grand inauguration of the flagship Zaria Court Kigali in July 2025. Officially launched by President Paul Kagame and Masai Ujiri, the $25 million state-of-the-art multi-purpose complex in Remera has quickly become the heart of the Kigali Sports City ecosystem, working alongside the BK Arena and Amahoro Stadium.
The impact of the Kigali facility provided the exact “proof of concept” the IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, needed to back the broader African rollout:
The construction phase employed over 700 workers (with 30% being women) and injected approximately 1 billion Rwandan Francs directly into the local workforce. Today, the operational hub provides permanent employment for nearly 500 people, primarily targeting women and youth.
The facility features an 80-room urban lifestyle hotel (now operating under the Tapestry Collection by Hilton), a 2,000-seat event space capable of hosting festivals for up to 5,000 people, standard-setting basketball and five-a-side football pitches, a podcast production studio, and retail incubation programs dedicated to women-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
By leveraging Rwanda’s position as a regional hub for innovation and infrastructure, Zaria Court Kigali proved that underutilised urban assets can be successfully transformed into vibrant economic engines.
Continental expansion and economic impact
With the Kigali model fully validated, initial focus areas for the new IFC-backed platform rollout include further developments in Kigali and a major expansion into Nairobi, with long-term ambitions to scale to other major African hubs like Lagos and Accra.
The economic footprint of this next phase is substantial. In Kenya, the development of the Nairobi project alone is projected to create 3,500 construction jobs during its development phase, followed by 1,500 permanent positions once operational. Additionally, the district is expected to generate approximately 25,000 event-based roles, significantly boosting seasonal employment and supporting urban development priorities under Kenya’s Vision 2030.
The IFC will play a pivotal role across these new sites by mobilising financing packages and providing upstream advisory engagement to de-risk these emerging infrastructure projects for private institutional investors.
Masai Ujiri emphasised that while the passion for sports in Africa is undeniable, physical infrastructure must step up to meet the demand.
“We’re incredibly proud to partner with IFC to deliver exactly that. When you build the right foundation with the right partners, extraordinary things happen. These districts will generate thousands of jobs, empower local businesses, and become hubs where African culture and talent thrive,” Ujiri said.
Ujiri added that the ultimate goal is to build sustainable models that “keep wealth on the continent and create opportunity at scale.”
IFC Managing Director Makhtar Diop highlighted the social importance of the deal, noting that creative industries are essential engines for inclusion and formalised growth.
“Sectors such as sports and entertainment already employ millions worldwide and provide accessible entry points into the formal economy, especially for young people and women,” Diop noted.
By leveraging Zaria Group’s proven execution in Kigali and the IFC’s financial reach, the partnership aims to turn Africa’s creative potential into a tangible economic reality for the next generation of talent across the continent.
Leave a Reply