As African football seeks to convert its immense talent into lasting economic value, Brian Wesaala has emerged as one of the continent’s leading voices championing football as a driver of investment, innovation and development. Ahead of the landmark 2026 Africa Football Business Summit in Ghana, the Founder and President of The Football Foundation for Africa speaks exclusively to Pan African Visions about building a sustainable football economy that benefits Africa far beyond the pitch.
By Ajong Mbapndah L & Boris Esono Nwenfor
For generations, Africa has supplied the world with some of football’s greatest stars, yet much of the wealth generated by the game has flowed beyond the continent’s borders. Brian Wesaala believes that must change. As Founder and President of The Football Foundation for Africa (FFA) and the driving force behind the Africa Football Business Summit (AFBS), he is championing a new vision that sees football not merely as sport or entertainment, but as a strategic economic sector capable of creating jobs, attracting investment, strengthening tourism, advancing technology and accelerating Africa’s development agenda.
Under his leadership, the Africa Football Business Summit has grown into one of the continent’s premier platforms for governments, investors, football administrators, technology innovators and business leaders seeking to unlock football’s enormous commercial potential. This year’s fifth edition, to be hosted in Accra, Ghana, marks a significant milestone as the Summit expands beyond Kenya for the first time, reinforcing its ambition to become Africa’s leading forum for football business, policy and innovation. Central to that vision is a simple but transformative proposition: Africa must move beyond exporting football talent and begin building world-class football institutions, businesses and ecosystems that retain far greater value on the continent.
In this exclusive interview with Pan African Visions, Wesaala discusses why Ghana was chosen to host AFBS 2026, the opportunities emerging from women’s football, artificial intelligence and sports technology, the lessons African football should draw from the recent FIFA World Cup, and why he believes the next decade could redefine Africa’s place not only on the field, but across the global football economy.
The 2026 Africa Football Business Summit is generating significant anticipation across the continent. What is the vision behind this year’s Summit, and what makes the Ghana edition particularly important?
The vision of the Africa Football Business Summit (AFBS) 2026 is to help Africa move from participating in the global football economy to creating and retaining more of the value it generates.
For decades, the continent has been recognised for producing extraordinary football talent and passionate supporters. Yet much of the economic value created by African football continues to be captured elsewhere. We believe the next chapter of African football should not be defined simply by exporting more players, but by building stronger football ecosystems that create jobs, attract investment, foster innovation and contribute to national development.
This year’s theme, “From Vision to Value: Building a Sustainable Football Economy for Africa,” reflects that ambition. It challenges us to move beyond discussing football as a sport and begin viewing it as an economic sector capable of driving growth across multiple industries.
The Ghana edition is particularly significant because it marks the fifth Africa Football Business Summit and the first to be hosted outside Kenya. It represents the Summit’s evolution into a truly Pan-African platform and signals our commitment to bringing together governments, football stakeholders, investors, businesses and development partners from across the continent to shape a shared future.
At a time when African football has never been more visible globally, the conversation is no longer whether Africa belongs on football’s biggest stage. The conversation is how Africa captures more of the value that football creates.
Why was Ghana selected as the host country for the 2026 Africa Football Business Summit? What unique advantages does Ghana bring to an event of this scale, and how has the government and local football ecosystem supported preparations?
Ghana was a deliberate choice because it embodies many of the qualities needed to advance the next phase of African football.
It has a proud football heritage, a stable democratic environment and a growing reputation as a destination for international conferences and investment. More importantly, as host of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Ghana symbolises the kind of continental integration that African football also needs. Football should not be viewed as a collection of isolated national markets but as a connected African economy with enormous collective potential.
During our preparations, we have been encouraged by the enthusiasm shown across the Ghanaian ecosystem. We’ve engaged government institutions, diplomatic missions, football leaders, universities, corporate partners and the wider sports community, all of whom recognise the opportunity to position Ghana as a hub for football business and innovation.
Hosting AFBS in Accra is therefore about much more than changing venues. It is about demonstrating how football can support trade, tourism, education, investment and diplomacy while creating lasting value for host nations.
Preparations for a continental event of this magnitude are never without challenges. What have been the biggest hurdles your team has faced, and how have you overcome them?
Like many ambitious initiatives, our greatest challenge has not been organising the event itself—it has been changing the conversation.
For a long time, football has largely been viewed either as entertainment or as a social development tool. While both perspectives have merit, they underestimate football’s true potential. Convincing stakeholders that football deserves to be discussed alongside infrastructure, investment, trade and industrial policy requires persistence and evidence.
Building a Pan-African platform also comes with practical challenges. Moving the Summit to a new country meant establishing new partnerships, navigating different operating environments and building trust with local stakeholders. That takes time.
Fortunately, we’ve never viewed AFBS as a one-off conference. We see it as a long-term movement. Every challenge has strengthened our resolve and reinforced the importance of collaboration. The partnerships we’ve built across Africa and internationally demonstrate that more organisations are beginning to share this vision of football as a strategic driver of economic and social development.
Looking at the programme, what can delegates, clubs, federations, investors, technology companies and football enthusiasts expect from this year’s Summit that will be different from previous editions?
One of the defining characteristics of AFBS 2026 is that it deliberately brings together people who would not ordinarily meet, but who all have a role to play in building Africa’s football economy.
This is not a football conference where people simply discuss football. It is a business summit where football becomes the entry point for conversations about investment, technology, infrastructure, governance, tourism, education and innovation.
Delegates can expect discussions on artificial intelligence, sports technology, women’s football, infrastructure development, sustainability, sports tourism and aviation and innovative financing models, alongside more traditional topics such as governance and commercialisation.
More importantly, the Summit is designed around outcomes. We want clubs to find investors, governments to discover new policy ideas, businesses to identify commercial opportunities and organisations to build partnerships that continue long after the closing session.
Success will not be measured by the quality of the conversations alone, but by the collaborations and investments they generate.
The Africa Football Business Summit has evolved considerably since its inception. How has the event grown over the years, and what measurable impact has it had on football business, investment and collaboration across Africa?
When we launched the first Africa Football Business Summit, our objective was to create a platform where meaningful conversations about football business could take place.
Five editions later, it has grown into one of the continent’s leading convening platforms, bringing together stakeholders from government, football, business, academia, development and technology across more than thirty countries.
The Summit has facilitated partnerships between organisations that might never otherwise have connected. It has supported educational opportunities, strengthened cross-border collaboration and contributed to initiatives such as the Africa Football Development Network, which seeks to build stronger grassroots football ecosystems across the continent.
However, perhaps our greatest achievement has not been measured by attendance figures or the number of countries represented. It has been helping to change the conversation. Increasingly, football is being recognised not simply as a sport, but as an economic ecosystem capable of creating employment, attracting investment and contributing to national development.
That shift in mindset is fundamental if African football is to realise its full potential.
African football possesses enormous talent, passionate supporters and one of the world’s youngest populations. Yet the continent still struggles to convert that potential into sustained global dominance. In your view, what is Africa still missing?
Africa’s challenge is no longer producing footballers. It is producing value.
Talent has never been in short supply. Every year, African players excel in the world’s leading leagues and competitions. The real challenge is building the institutions and ecosystems that allow more of the value created by that talent to remain within Africa.
That requires stronger governance, a more robust policy framework, better coaching, modern infrastructure, sustainable domestic leagues, greater investment in grassroots football and more innovative commercial models. These are the foundations upon which successful football nations are built.
We also need to broaden our definition of success. Success should not be measured only by the number of players exported overseas, or trophies won every two or four years. It should also be measured by the strength of our clubs, the health of our federations and domestic leagues, the number of jobs football creates and the contribution it makes to national economies.
If Africa can combine its exceptional talent with equally strong institutions and investment, I have no doubt the continent can become a global leader not only on the pitch, but also in football business, governance and innovation.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup once again showcased Africa’s growing competitiveness. Looking back at the tournament, where do you believe African teams performed exceptionally well, and where did they fall short against the world’s elite?
The World Cup reinforced something many of us have believed for years: African football belongs among the world’s elite. Our teams demonstrated technical quality, athleticism, resilience and the confidence to compete with the best.
However, I think the more important question is not how African teams performed during the tournament, but whether African football is stronger because of it.
The expansion of the World Cup created more opportunities for participation, and that is welcome. But participation should not be confused with development. Bigger tournaments do not automatically create stronger football ecosystems.
If football is to become a genuine driver of development, we must evaluate every World Cup differently. Did our domestic leagues become stronger? Did our clubs attract more investment? Did football create more employment? Did our coaches, referees and administrators benefit? Did governments begin to see football as an economic sector rather than simply a sporting activity?
Those are the questions that will determine whether Africa eventually produces not just outstanding World Cup performances, but sustainable football success. The challenge before us is no longer proving that Africa belongs on the world’s biggest stage. It is ensuring that every World Cup leaves African football stronger than it found it.
What lessons should African football federations, clubs and governments take from the recent World Cup if the continent is to produce more quarter-finalists, semi-finalists and eventually a world champion?
The World Cup reminded us that success is not built during the tournament; it is built in the decades before it. Countries like Cabo Verde and Morocco have been building over years and now the results are showing.
It is easy to celebrate how many African teams progressed, but tournament expansion should not be confused with ecosystem development. A bigger competition naturally creates more opportunities for participation. The more important question is whether African football becomes stronger after every World Cup.
That means investing consistently in grassroots football, coaching, governance, sports science, physical and digital infrastructure and domestic competitions. It means treating football as a long-term national investment rather than a project that comes to life only when qualification is within reach or when hosting major events.
Governments also need to ask a different question. Every qualification campaign requires significant public investment. What is the return on that investment? Does it strengthen domestic leagues? Does it create jobs? Does it stimulate tourism? Does it attract private investment?
Producing a world champion will require more than exceptional players. It will require exceptional football ecosystems.
Beyond the senior national teams, many analysts argue that Africa’s greatest challenge lies in governance, youth development, coaching, infrastructure and commercialisation. Which of these areas deserves the most urgent attention, and why?
Governance remains the foundation because every other challenge flows from it.
Good governance determines how resources are invested, how infrastructure is developed, how young players are protected and how commercial partnerships are structured. Without strong institutions, even significant financial investment rarely delivers lasting impact.
However, governance should not be viewed simply as compliance or elections. It is about strategic leadership. It is about building institutions that can attract investment, inspire confidence and outlast individual administrators.
I also believe we need to broaden how we think about football. Too often, it is viewed as entertainment or, at best, as a development programme. I see it differently. Football is infrastructure.
Just as countries invest in roads, energy and digital networks because they enable economic activity, football enables education, employment, public health, tourism, innovation and social cohesion. Once governments begin viewing football through that lens, investment decisions become much more strategic.
Football has become a multi-billion-dollar global industry driven by broadcasting, sponsorship, technology and data analytics. How can African football capture a much larger share of this economic value instead of remaining primarily a supplier of talent to overseas leagues?
This is perhaps the defining challenge for African football over the next decade.
Africa has become one of the world’s greatest producers of football talent, yet much of the economic value created by that talent is retained elsewhere. Transfer fees circulate through foreign leagues, broadcasting revenues strengthen overseas competitions and sponsorship follows mature football ecosystems.
There is nothing wrong with Europe’s success. It is the product of decades of deliberate investment.
The question is whether Africa can build its own football economy with the same ambition.
That means developing stronger domestic leagues, modern clubs, sports technology companies, football tourism, media businesses, education providers and innovative financing models. We should be exporting ideas, innovation and football enterprises alongside elite players.
The objective is not to stop exporting talent. It is to ensure that talent is only one part of Africa’s football economy rather than its primary business model.
If you were making a direct pitch to governments, corporate sponsors, investors, clubs and development partners who are still undecided about attending the Africa Football Business Summit, why should they be in Ghana? What opportunities would they miss by staying away?
The Africa Football Business Summit is where Africa’s football conversation moves from ambition to implementation.
For governments, it is an opportunity to explore how football can contribute to economic growth, youth employment, tourism and national development.
For investors, it provides access to one of the world’s fastest-growing football markets at a time when many opportunities remain untapped.
For businesses, it offers a chance to engage one of Africa’s most passionate consumer communities while building authentic partnerships across the continent.
For clubs and federations, it is a platform to exchange ideas, build relationships and learn from emerging best practice.
The Summit is not about talking about football. It is about building Africa’s football economy.
Those who attend will help shape that future. Those who don’t may simply watch it unfold without them.
Women’s football, sports technology, artificial intelligence, fan engagement and sports tourism are transforming the global game. How prominently will these emerging areas feature during the Summit, and what role can they play in accelerating Africa’s football economy?
These are no longer emerging conversations—they are becoming central pillars of modern football.
Women’s football is experiencing unprecedented global growth and presents one of Africa’s greatest opportunities for participation, leadership and commercial development. The continent has exceptional talent; now we must build equally strong ecosystems around it.
Technology and artificial intelligence are transforming every aspect of football—from talent identification and performance analysis to governance, fan engagement and commercial operations. They enable smarter decisions and more efficient organisations.
Sports tourism is equally important. Football has the power to showcase destinations, attract international visitors and stimulate local economies. Countries that strategically integrate football with tourism stand to create value far beyond the ninety minutes played on the pitch.
The Summit will explore all these themes because they represent where football is heading, not where it has been.
Looking ahead over the next decade, what bold reforms or strategic investments would you recommend to CAF, national associations and policymakers if Africa is to become not only a producer of elite players but also a global powerhouse in football administration, business and innovation?
My recommendation is straightforward: Africa must move from participation to value.
For decades, our focus has rightly been on earning greater representation within global football. We achieved that. Today, the challenge is different. It is about capturing a greater share of the value that African football creates.
That requires stronger governance, long-term investment in grassroots infrastructure, professional football administration, coaching education, women’s football, digital innovation and commercially sustainable domestic competitions.
It also requires a continental mindset. Football should not be viewed only through national borders. Africa’s greatest opportunities lie in collaboration, shared markets and regional investment, principles that align closely with the vision of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The African Union should be more involved in shaping sports policy, football in particular, appreciating the role it plays towards Agenda 20263.
Ultimately, I hope Africa becomes known not only for producing world-class footballers but also for producing world-class football institutions, businesses, technologies and ideas.
Finally, when delegates leave Ghana after the 2026 Africa Football Business Summit, what do you hope they will say about the experience, and what lasting legacy do you want this edition to leave for African football?
I hope delegates leave believing that they witnessed the beginning of a new chapter for African football.
Not because they attended another successful conference, but because they participated in a movement that challenged the continent to think differently.
If there is one idea I want people to remember, it is this: football is not simply a game to be managed; it is infrastructure to be developed.
When we begin measuring football by the jobs it creates, the businesses it grows, the communities it strengthens and the opportunities it unlocks, our priorities change. We move beyond celebrating participation towards building lasting value.
If, years from now, people look back on the Ghana edition as the moment African football shifted its focus from exporting talent to building sustainable football economies, then I believe we will have left a legacy that extends far beyond the Summit itself.
*Culled From August Issue Of PAV Magazine
