African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has announced the signing of a EUR 245-million global facility with the New World Television (NWTV) network. The funding will part finance the network’s acquisition of media licensing rights for selected broadcasting sport copyrights from global media rights holders to permit broadcast across Africa.

The facility agreement, signed on October 17, 2024, on the sidelines of the just concluded CANEX WKND 2024, covers broadcasting sport copyrights from the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA), Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF), French Ligue and Spanish LaLiga.

Granted within Afreximbank’s CANEX Financing Programme, under the Sports Development Framework of its Creative Economy Strategy which seeks to mitigate constraints to creative enterprise development and to stimulate intra- and extra-African export of creative products, the facility is expected to support the development of Africa’s sports value chain by placing the ownership of African sports content firmly in African hands.

The deal signing was overseen by Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank and Mr. Louis Biyao, representative of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NWTV.

Speaking on the facility, Mrs. Awani said: “The import of this facility lies in the significant impact it will make in empowering African enterprises, particularly in the creative sector, to assume control of African sports. By taking control of these broadcasting rights, we will see the fostering of local content production, creation of job opportunities and strengthening of the continent’s competitive edge in the global market while promoting cultural identity and economic growth. Afreximbank is strongly committed to supporting African enterprises driving progress in the creative sector and this transaction is a testament to that commitment.” 

On his part, Mr. Biyao commented: "It is a great honour for NWTV to benefit from such support, which allows it to streamline its transactions without the constraints related to currency exchanges. This agreement opens new opportunities for NWTV, guided by the motto 'produced by Africans, for Africans in Africa,' to offer premium content to a larger number of Africans. This is content that is accessible and closely aligned with their reality, at a very affordable cost.”

He added: “NWTV aims to provide an innovative and accessible alternative in the African audiovisual landscape, broadcasting high-quality content in local languages, tailored to the expectations of African populations. This approach is fully in line with NWTV's commitment to bringing audiovisual content closer to every African household."

The facility is expected to address the challenge of African sports being largely controlled by non-African networks and broadcasting houses, marking a strategic shift towards empowering African entities to take control of the broadcasts, celebrate local sports talent and showcase the richness of the continent's sporting culture.

It will also boost the development of the African television industry ecosystem by growing revenue opportunities for television stations that would now be able to add more content into their rotations and that would be able to sell more advertisement spaces, in addition to enabling NWTV to promote the diffusion of sports content in local languages. NWTV, which is currently able to develop broadcast content in seven local languages in 24 countries, is working on three additional languages to be deployed in 2024.

The four-day CANEX WKND 2024, organised by Afreximbank was held from 16 - 19 October, under the theme “One People, United in Culture, Creating for the World” and was attended by almost 4,000 delegates representing a diversity of creative sectors from across Africa and the diaspora.

CANEX WKND 2024 featured live performances, speeches by industry leaders and experts, masterclass sessions, sporting events, fashion shows, high energy music concerts and gastronomical showcases alongside a vibrant market and exhibition all aimed at advancing and expanding Africa’s unrivalled creative and cultural industries, with the aim of implementing pan-African measures that support the continent’s cultural sectors.