Nigeria can become Africa’s sporting hub – Ex-FIFA Sec-Gen Samoura

September 12, 2026 12:36 am

Former FIFA Secretary-General, Fatma Samoura, speaks on her years running world football’s governing body, her decision to join the Advisory Board of the African Collaborations Group, why she believes Africa’s sporting talent and money should stay on the continent, and more in this interview with PETER AKINBO

You made history as the first woman and first African to serve as FIFA Secretary-General. What were the biggest lessons from your time at the top of global football governance?

When I look back at my years in football, one of the things I value most is the perspective my previous career at the United Nations gave me. I came to FIFA after more than two decades of working in international development, in very different countries and often in difficult environments. That experience taught me that institutions do not change simply because there is a good strategy on paper. They change when people are willing to lead, listen, build trust and stay the course.

What impact did you try to make at FIFA?

When I joined FIFA in 2016, the organisation was going through one of the most difficult periods in its history. My priority was not to manage an institution; it was to help restore confidence in one that had a responsibility to the entire football family. We worked on governance, transparency and professionalism, and on making sure FIFA’s resources and programmes could have a meaningful impact across all six confederations. My second lesson is that diversity at the table matters, but diversity alone is not enough. Being the first African and the first woman in that position was historic, but I always felt the real responsibility was to deliver. Representation has meaning when it opens doors for others and when it is backed by competence, integrity and results. Finally, I learned that leadership is ultimately about people. You cannot transform an organisation from behind a desk. You have to engage with people, understand different realities and bring them together around a common purpose.

What drew you to your new role on the Advisory Board of the African Collaborations Group?

What attracted me to ACG is the chance to keep working on something I have cared about for many years: how Africa can capture more of the economic and social value created by its own sporting talent. During my years at FIFA, I saw first-hand both the ambition that exists across Africa and the structural challenges that still limit our ability to host, develop and retain talent on the continent. We have young people with immense potential and passionate fans, but we still lack enough quality infrastructure and, just as importantly, the business models to make that infrastructure sustainable. What I find interesting about ACG is that it looks beyond the traditional stadium model, towards sport and entertainment districts that work all year round, combining sport with hospitality, entertainment, retail, training and community facilities. For me, this is a natural next chapter, after a career at the UN and a long stretch in international football.

Why are African athletes forced to leave the continent to find better opportunities?

Africa has never lacked talent. The challenge has been creating an environment in which that talent can develop, compete and generate value at home. My time at the UN taught me to look beyond the immediate symptom of a problem and ask what structural conditions are holding people back. In sport, those conditions include inadequate training facilities, limited access to sports science and medical support, weak commercial ecosystems and, in many places, no clear pathway from grassroots sport to a professional career. As a result, African talent often has to leave the continent to find the facilities and opportunities it needs. That is good for the individual athlete, but it means a significant part of the value, the jobs, sponsorship, broadcasting and investment, is created elsewhere. We need to think about sport as an industry, and not only as a passion.

What difference does a shift away from standalone stadiums towards integrated sport make for African cities?

The fundamental difference is that one stops looking at a stadium as a building and starts looking at it as part of an economic ecosystem. Infrastructure has to remain useful beyond the day it was built for. A stadium that is full only on match day is not enough; the question should be what happens there on the other days of the year. An integrated district can bring together sports venues, academies, hotels, retail, offices and public spaces, creating activity all year round and jobs that go far beyond athletes and matchday staff. It can also contribute to urban regeneration and give young people access to facilities close to home, rather than leaving governments with buildings they cannot afford to maintain.

What role can better infrastructure play in creating jobs and retaining more of that economic value within Africa?

Good infrastructure gives young athletes somewhere to train and compete. It creates opportunities for coaches, sports scientists, medical professionals and event managers, and when sport is connected to hospitality, tourism and commerce, the employment impact becomes much broader.

Nigeria is one of Africa’s biggest sporting and entertainment markets, with talent across football, athletics, basketball and the creative industries. What opportunities do you see for Nigeria here?

Nigeria has something few countries can replicate: scale, talent, a huge and youthful population, passionate sports audiences and one of the continent’s most influential creative industries. Having worked in Nigeria during my time at the UN, I have seen both the complexity of the country and the extraordinary energy of its people. Football is the obvious example, but the opportunity goes beyond it, into athletics, basketball, combat sports, music, film and fashion. Nigeria could become a regional hub for major competitions, entertainment productions and talent development, but that means thinking strategically about venues, transport, hospitality and the commercial ecosystem around them. The real question is how to turn that potential into quality jobs and long-term value for Nigerians.

As a woman who broke one of the biggest glass ceilings in football, what advice would you give young African women in sports leadership?

I would tell them not to spend too much time asking whether they belong in a particular room. Prepare so well that when the door opens, you are ready to walk through it. My own journey was not planned around breaking glass ceilings. I spent many years at the United Nations, working in different countries and learning from very different cultures. When the opportunity came to move into football, I did not see it as a question of whether a woman, or an African, could lead at that level. I saw it as a responsibility to do the job to the best of my ability. There will be moments when you encounter resistance or people who underestimate you. Do not let those moments define you. Build your expertise, work hard, deliver, and find mentors, but also become a mentor to others. Do not see another successful woman as a competitor simply because there are still too few of us at the table. We have to make the table bigger, and every woman who reaches a position of influence has a responsibility to make the path easier for the women coming behind her.

What would success look like for Africa’s sports ecosystem?

Success, for me, would be seeing sport recognised across Africa not only as entertainment, but as a real contributor to economic development, youth employment, health and social cohesion. I would like to see African athletes able to train, compete and build meaningful careers on the continent if they choose to. I would like African cities to become regular hosts of major international competitions because they have the capacity to run them sustainably, and I would like to see more of the money generated by African sport circulate within African economies. My experience at the UN taught me that development is sustainable when local capacity is strengthened, and people can take ownership of the solutions. My experience in football reinforced that lesson. Africa does not need to be treated simply as a source of talent; it needs to be recognised as a market, an investment destination and a producer of world-class sporting and entertainment experiences. I hope ACG can contribute to that shift, helping to build not just venues, but an African sports economy.

Peter Akinbo

Peter, who has been covering sports for PUNCH for close to two years, focuses on combat sports reporting, special features and human angle stories

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email protected]