NAIROBI, Kenya, November 11, 2026 – Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger and ex-Manchester United leftback Patrice Evra could be part of an elite guest list of speakers at next year’s Game Time Africa Summit to be held at the JW Marriot on July 15-17 in Nairobi.
The summit’s founder Will Mbiakop said the two-day meeting will include an amazing line-up, which could comprise the aforementioned two, who were also in attendance at this year’s edition in Rabat, Morocco.
“We had an amazing lineup in Morocco. Arsenal coach, Arsene Wenger, Arsenal owner, David Dean, Manchester United, Patrice Evra, UFC champion, Cyril Gann, and so on and so forth. We had the biggest investors in the game, NBA owners, Mark Lasry, Fred Whitfield, and so on and so forth. Who will be in Kenya in 2027? What I can tell you is stay tuned. We’re going to have an amazing lineup. Maybe some of them will be there, maybe some new ones, but stay tuned. Kenya will be even better,” Mbiakop said.
Mbiakop said the summit will be necessary to stimulate conversations and initiate fruitful relationships that will change the story of African sports from one of a sleeping giant to a roaring industry.
“I think, the right way forward is to work together. And that’s exactly what we’re trying to do with the Game Time Africa Summit. It’s going to be amazing. We have a great lineup of speakers from investors, right holders, leagues, athletes, legends, people who truly want to change the game and move Africa forward,” he said.
Part of the change that Mbiakop envisions is the opening up of more opportunities in the sports industry beyond the field and the technical bench — and into sports research, marketing, health and business.
“There are 100 plus jobs available on the value chain of sports. It’s not only talent from an athletic standpoint, it’s talent from a business standpoint. So when we talk about talent, we talk about media, digital events, health and wellness, etc,” he said.
Mbiakop added: “All those are jobs available to grab for the people of Africa. And you know what? The challenge is humongous. Annually, we have 15 to 20 million people coming to the job market. We need to find them jobs. So traditional industry will not suffice. We need to find innovative markets, innovative ways to get them to work. Sports is one of those solutions.”
Data is king and queen
The starting point of this journey to the proverbial promised land, according to Mbiakop, is to harness current empirical evidence on the state of African sports ecosystem.
This will inform the decisions and strategies employed to grow the industry.
“The African sports industry has an amazing potential and to reach that potential, which is to me 5% of African GDP, it needs three things. Number one, it needs data. That’s the reason why with my institute, the African Sports and Creative Institute (ASCI), we do research, we publish newsletters, reports and so on and so forth because data is critical,” he said.
Mbiakop added: “We need to understand the game, we need to understand the dynamics between the different stakeholders in the ecosystem to know where the potential is and where to invest. So we absolutely need data.”
Challenges, however, abound, including cultural barriers, gender stereotypes and corruption across the continent.
Acknowledging these bottlenecks, Mbiakop expressed hope that they are hurdles that can be surmounted to ensure African sports reaches the peak of its potential.
“Traditionally, we used to think of sports as a recreational area. I think one of the key things is we are witnessing a mindset shift. We see that more and more people understand the benefit for youth to practice sports. They don’t need to become professional, but they need to accomplish themselves through the values of sports,” Mbiakop said.
He added: “On top of that now, beyond being great citizen, becoming great citizen, now they can become great sports business people. And they can make a living out of sports. And that’s what we’re rooting for.”
