the colorful Junior NBA & AFD Basketball Experience program

The program reached more than 4,000 boys and girls in 2022 through nearly 1,000 basketball workshops and life skills seminars


NBA Africa, the French Development Agency (AFD), France’s public and solidarity development bank engaged in financing and technical assistance for projects in developing countries, today celebrated the closing of the program Junior NBA & AFD Basketball Experience in Morocco. On this occasion, an event was organized on the basketball court of the Zenata coastal sports course, belonging to the Zenata Development Company (SAZ). Objective: to promote the development of local youth through sport.
On the program of this event, a basketball clinic, the matches of the best boys and girls, and a seminar on practical skills called “life skills” for the benefit of 150 boys and girls aged 12 to 18 belonging to the local community. The Managing Director of NBA Africa, Mr. Victor Williams, the Managing Director Morocco of the French Development Agency, Mr. Mihoub Mezouaghi, the representative of the Ministry of Education, and the Managing Director of the Societe d’Aménagement de Zenata , Mohamed Amine El Hajhouj, sent messages to young people encouraging them to continue to participate actively in the program.
The Jr.NBA & AFD Basketball Experience, a series of basketball workshops promoting the social inclusion of young people from Casablanca and Zenata, took place between January and July. The program has reached more than 4,000 boys and girls from 50 schools in Greater Casablanca through nearly 1,000 basketball workshops and life skills seminars focusing on basketball fundamentals, skills development, citizenship and citizenship. gender equality.
The Director General of AFD Morocco, Mr. Mihoub Mezouaghi declared: “This program, in partnership with NBA Africa, demonstrates our common desire to make sport a tool for promoting sustainable development and social cohesion in Morocco. The Basketball Experience program will help young people to develop through the practice of basketball in the schools of Casablanca and Zenata and on the field”.
“The NBA Africa is committed to positively impacting the lives of young people across the continent through basketball and the impact of the Jr. NBA & AFD Basketball Experience program on young boys and girls in Morocco is very encouraging. declared Mr. Victor Williams, General Manager of NBA Africa. “We are grateful to have a partner like AFD who shares our faith in the transformative power of sport and we hope to expand our partnership and reach more young people in other countries on the continent in the near future. »
The Jr NBA & AFD Basketball Experience program, supported by the IDMAJ neighborhood association, is part of the actions of Zenata and Casablanca to raise awareness among Moroccan youth about sustainable development, citizenship and gender equality. through sports.
The launch of the program and the inauguration of the Zenata basketball court took place in 2019, in the presence of the 2011 NBA champion, Ian Mahinmi. Field activities were suspended in 2020 due to health crisis restrictions, but have since resumed with renewed vigor.
The Jr. NBA, the league’s worldwide basketball program for young boys and girls, teaches fundamental life skills as well as the core values ​​of the game – teamwork, respect, determination and community – at the at the local level to help improve the basketball experience for players, coaches and parents. The Jr. NBA program has been implemented in 15 African countries, including Morocco.
AFD supports the belief that sport is a factor in economic and social development. It is both a real economic driver in terms of wealth and job creation, as well as a tool for social ties and unity, and a vector of equality between women and men. AFD is also a partner of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) and supported the inaugural BAL season, which was held in Kigali, Rwanda in May.