Umuyobozi Mukuru wa NBA Africa, Clare Akamanzi, yavuze ko Basketball ari ikintu ibihugu bya Afurika bikwiye kwitaho kuko ishobora kugira uruhare mu iterambere ryabyo, yemeza ko u Rwanda rwatangiye kungukira mu bufatanye rwagiranye n’Irushanwa rya Basketball Africa League.
Mu mpera za 2023 ni bwo Clare Akamanzi yatangajwe nk’Umuyobozi Mukuru wa NBA Africa, inshingano yatangiye ku wa 23 Mutarama 2024.
Mu kiganiro ‘The Long form’ yagiranye na Sanny Ntayombya, Akamanzi yagarutse ku itandukaniro riri ku kuba mu Rwego rw’Igihugu rw’Iterambere (RDB) yayoboye imyaka imyaka irindwi no muri iki kigo gishamikiye kuri Shampiyona ya Basketball muri Amerika (NBA).
Ati “Nagiye muri NBA [Africa] ku mpera za Mutarama, kandi cyabaye igihe cyiza cyo kwiga ariko kandi navuga ko ari ibintu byiza ndi kubona mu gice cya siporo. Ubushize, ndi muri RDB mu Rwanda, n’ubundi nahuraga na siporo ariko mu bijyanye no kugaragaza isura y’Igihugu twifashishije siporo; guteza imbere ubukererugendo mu gihugu, kwakira ibikorwa mpuzamahanga kandi bikajyana no kurema imirimo no kwinjiriza amafaranga Igihugu hagamijwe iterambere ryacyo. Ibyo byatumye ngira aho mpurira na siporo.”
Yongeyeho ati “Hano, ni ukuzamura ubucuruzi bwa NBA ku Mugabane wa Afurika ndetse mu mezi nk’abiri ashize twize byinshi bitandukanye, hari abadufasha bari i New York n’ahandi batandukanye ku Isi. Icyo nabonye, na mbere nkiri muri RDB, ni uko Basketball by’umwihariko, nk’uko bimeze ku yindi mikino, ni igice ibihugu bigomba kwitaho nk’ikintu cyabifasha kugira iterambere. Ni yo mpamvu NBA ishora muri Afurika.”
Yavuze ko hari impamvu nyinshi zo gushora ku Mugabane wa Afurika kuko ibihugu 20 bya mbere biri kuzamuka cyane ari ibyo kuri uyu mugabane, hakiyongeraho ko ufite urubyiruko rwinshi ndetse n’abanyempano benshi.
Ku bijyanye no kuba uyu munsi, akazi ke ka buri munsi gahuye na Basketball mu gihe akiri muri RDB, hari igihe yajyaga mu bindi bitari siporo nko guha ibyangombwa ibigo by’ubucuruzi bitandukanye n’izindi servisi, Akamanzi yavuze ko akazi afite uyu munsi karenze kuba Basketball gusa.
Ati “Ni ukuri ko mbere nashoboraga kujya muri ibyo bice byose, ariko n’ubu ntibirambirana kuko Basketball irenze kuba Basketball: Ni urusobe kuko mbere na mbere ni ubucuruzi mu itangazamakuru, icyo ni ikintu cyagutse. Hari n’ibindi biyishamikiyeho, hari ukuzana imikino nka BAL n’ibindi bikorwa biyishimikiyeho. Basketball ifite ubushobozi bwo guhindura imiryango y’abayibamo.”

Intego za Akamanzi muri NBA Africa
Muri iki kiganiro, Akamanzi yabajijwe ibimuraje ishinga nk’Umuyobozi Mukuru w’iki kigo. Yavuze ko byose abihuriza mu ijambo rimwe aho ashaka kubona ibikorwa by’iki kigo ayoboye bitera imbere bikagera hose muri Afurika.
Ati “Nabivuga mu ijambo rimwe, imihigo yacu ni ‘ukuzamuka’. Ibyo tubona tuzageraho ku mugabane ni byinshi: Ufite BAL imaze kuba inshuro enye, ufite amaduka atatu y’ubucuruzi ari muri Afurika; muri Sandton yo muri Johannesburg, Cape Town na Durban.”
“Ibaze imijyi yose tuzagezamo ayo maduka ku Mugabane niba ubu tumaze kugira imijyi itatu muri Afurika y’Epfo kandi turi mu mwaka wa kane gusa wa BAL. Turi gukora kandi n’uburyo butandukanye bw’itangazamakuru ku buryo abantu benshi bashobora kubona amakuru yacu.”
Yakomeje agira ati “Intego yanjye ni ukubona twaguka haba mu makipe akina, nk’ubu uyu mwaka twagize amakipe yitabiriye bwa mbere avuye muri Libya na Centrafrique. Yewe na APR yo mu Rwanda ni ubwa mbere yari yitabiriye BAL, hari n’andi makipe menshi azajya azamo. Icyo dushaka ni uko haza amakipe menshi, irushanwa rizamura urwego kandi rikitabirwa cyane.”
Muri uyu mwaka, NBA Africa yashyizeho ahantu hagurirwa ibicuruzwa byayo n’imyambaro y’amakipe ahari kubera Imikino ya nyuma ya BAL 2024 muri BK Arena ndetse no kuri Kigali Marriott Hotel.
Icya kabiri Clare Akamanzi yifuza ni ukubona “benshi mu basaga miliyari batuye Afurika bareba imikino yacu”, ubukungu bw’ikigo ndetse n’ibihugu bya Afurika bukazamuka.
U Rwanda rwungukiye mu bufatanye rwagiranye na BAL
Uyu muyobozi yavuze ko u Rwanda ari kimwe mu bihugu byatangiye gusarura amatunda yeze ku bufatanye rwagiranye n’Irushanwa rya Basketball Africa aho rwakiriye imikino ya nyuma y’iri rushanwa mu nshuro enye rimaze kuba.
Ati “U Rwanda rwagaragaje ko kwakira ibi bikorwa bibyara umusaruro. Ubushize ndeba imibare, u Rwanda rwasatiraga miliyoni 100$ yavuye muri ibyo bikorwa. Turashaka ko rukorera amafaranga menshi nkatwe nk’abafatanyabikorwa, natwe tuzakana amarushanwa n’ibikorwa bya siporo.”
“Nabaye ku rundi ruhande [muri RDB] nk’uko ubivuze, mbona agaciro ko gukorana n’ibigo by’ubucuruzi muri siporo nka NBA. Ku Rwanda, ndibuka ko mu mwaka ushize, mbere y’uko ngenda, intego yacu yari ukugera kuri miliyoni 600$ mu bukerarugendo kandi siporo ikabigiramo uruhare. Nasomye kuko nagiye mbere y’uko umwaka urangira, nasomye amakuru ko RDB yinjije miliyoni 620$, urumva barenze ku ntego bihaye.”
Yongeyeho ko siporo ishobora kugira uruhare rwisumbuye mu musaruro mbumbe w’ibihugu bitandukanye bya Afurika aho kugeza ubu ibyinshi biri ku rwego rwa 0.5% mu gihe ibihugu biyoboye ku Isi biri muri 3%.
Kuri ubu, NBA Africa ifite ibiro mu bihugu bitanu ari byo Afurika y’Epfo, Misiri, Sénégal, Kenya na Nigeria. Ni mu gihe ibihugu 20 bya Afurika birimo u Rwanda biberamo imishinga y’iki kigo nka NBA Jr League na Basketball Without Borders.
Akamanzi yavuze ko abana bigaragaje muri ibyo bikorwa babona amahirwe yo kujya “muri Académie ya NBA iri muri Sénégal yakira abana 20 icya rimwe. Umwaka utaha, batanu cyangwa batandatu beza bazajya muri NBA Draft.”
Ku bijyanye no kuba NBA Africa yashyiraho irushanwa rya BAL rihuza amakipe y’abagore nk’uko hari WNBA muri Amerika, Akamanzi yavuze ko nta gahunda bafite uyu munsi ariko ari ibintu bazakomeza kurebaho.
Yongeyeho ko ubu hari ibikorwa bakora biteza imbere abakobwa birimo NBA Jr League yitabirwa n’abahungu n’abakobwa ndetse na BAL4HER.
