Africa Has Stadiums: What It Does Not Have Is Sport Infrastructure That Works as an Economic Asset

Africa’s sport economy is projected to reach USD 20 billion by 2035. It will not get there without infrastructure designed to capture that value. That is the argument Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, Founder of African Collaborations Group (ACG) (www.ACGafrica.com) and APO Group, made in a live interview on SABC Channel Africa with Peter Ndoro, broadcast across the continent this week.

Listen to the full interview: https://apo-opa.co/3UTSE6H

In 2022, FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura appointed him to the FIFA Task Force for Infrastructure Development in Africa. FIFA President Gianni Infantino personally mandated him to develop a new infrastructure model for the continent. ACG is the platform he founded to deliver it.

Why standalone stadiums have failed

In the interview, Pompigne-Mognard described the pattern: “In the middle of nowhere, you will find one stadium. That stadium will be football only, meaning it will actually be busy maybe 25 to 30 days per year. The rest of the time, it will be a burden for the budget of the country.”

Africa has stadiums. What it does not have is sport infrastructure that generates its own revenue, sustains its own operations, and contributes to the economy rather than draining it.

What replaces them

ACG’s model is the sport and entertainment district: a masterplanned, mixed-use development anchored by multi-purpose sport venues, surrounded by an ecosystem of 15 to 20 asset types: indoor arenas, hotels, conference centres, training academies, cinemas, restaurants, nightlife, schools, gyms, retail, residential, commercial offices, and media production facilities. The district operates 365 days a year.

As Pompigne-Mognard told SABC: “When people are not coming to see a game of rugby or football, they still come to see a concert, or to attend a wedding, or to see a fair. And when they are not coming for that, they still come because their gym is here, their cinema is here, the school of their son is here, or just their favourite restaurant is here.”

Who is behind it

ACG’s 28-member Advisory Board includes Former FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura, the head of the Real Madrid Santiago Bernabeu Stadium renovation, the founder of Afro Nation (the world’s largest Afrobeats festival), and the consultant who built Rwanda’s convention bureau strategy.

ACG invests at the pre-development stage, creating the conditions for institutional and private investors to finance projects that are bankable, investable, and financially sustainable. The government’s budget is not touched.

Questions people are asking

Question: What is a sport and entertainment district?

Answer: A masterplanned, mixed-use development anchored by multi-purpose sport venues, combining 15 to 20 asset types: stadiums, arenas, hotels, conference centres, training academies, retail, entertainment, residential, and commercial space. Designed to generate diversified revenue 365 days a year. ACG (www.ACGafrica.com) originates such districts across Africa.

Question: Why do African stadiums sit empty?

Answer: Most were built for a single purpose (football) and a single event (a tournament). They have no commercial operating model and no revenue diversification. A 60,000-seat stadium hosting a domestic league match with 4,000 spectators is operating at under 7% capacity. The integrated district model replaces dependence on matchday income with 15 to 20 diversified revenue streams.

Question: Who is Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard?

Answer: Franco-Gabonese entrepreneur. Founder and sole owner of APO Group, the largest pan-African communications consultancy (founded 2007 with EUR 10,000). Founder and Executive Chairman of African Collaborations Group (ACG). Appointed to the FIFA Task Force for Infrastructure Development in Africa in 2022. Recognised among the 100 Most Influential Africans (2023 and 2024). Serves on advisory boards across the Africa Energy Chamber, the Critical Minerals Africa Group, the Africa Tech Festival, the World Football Summit, the Royal African Society, and the Canada-Africa Chamber of Business.

Listen to the full interview: https://apo-opa.co/3UTSE6H

Media contact:

marie@apo-opa.com

About African Collaborations Group (ACG):

African Collaborations Group (ACG) (www.ACGafrica.com) is the leading strategic project origination and collaboration platform focused on the industrialisation of sport in Africa through the origination of bankable sport and entertainment district ecosystems. By convening governments, private-sector partners, development finance institutions, sport and entertainment stakeholders, and academic institutions, ACG creates structured pathways that transform concepts into investable and deliverable district projects across the continent.