The Basketball Africa League is renovating basketball courts in four Senegalese cities, from Saint-Louis to Guédiawaye, in a drive to widen access to the sport across the country. The work forms part of NBA Africa's wider ambition to build or refurbish 1,000 courts across the continent over the next ten years.
The first facility was inaugurated on 30 September at Université Gaston Berger in Saint-Louis, a UNESCO World Heritage city. The covered court will serve students and the local community for basketball and other activities.
On 7 October, a renovated court was unveiled in Joal, a fishing town on the Petite Côte where organised sports facilities have long been scarce. The site includes secure fencing and upgraded sanitation, and its launch was marked by an introductory basketball session for 100 boys and girls aged 16 and under.
In Dakar, a refurbished outdoor court along the Atlantic coastline will be inaugurated on 9 October. Improvements include a scoreboard, storage space and perimeter fencing, with the BAL City Run neighbourhood finals for 12 local teams set to follow the opening.
Guédiawaye will close the series on 30 October with the unveiling of Africa's first BAL4HER court, an indoor complex built under the BAL's women and girls programme. Beyond basketball, the site will host volleyball and handball, with modernised changing rooms, meeting rooms, upgraded lighting and dedicated space for leadership, life-skills, education, health and nutrition workshops.
