Vice-President Deogratius Ndejembi has formally accepted the role of patron for Tanzanian basketball, outlining a vision that leans heavily on private sector investment to lift the sport's commercial standing in East Africa. He made the remarks at the International School of Tanganyika court in Masaki during the Dar es Salaam Regional League finals.
The Vice-President urged prominent musicians and business figures to acquire and fund basketball franchises, pointing to artist Emanuel Mkono, widely known as Nahreel, and his backing of the Reel basketball team as a model. Ndejembi also named Alikiba and Harmonize as influential figures with the market reach to grow fan engagement.
He linked the initiative to the Sixth Phase Government's sports agenda, assuring stakeholders that President Samia Suluhu Hassan's administration would prioritise the construction and rehabilitation of specialised courts capable of hosting regional tournaments. The continued reliance on private institutions such as IST to stage national finals, he said, underlined gaps the government intends to close through targeted capital expenditure.
Ndejembi also highlighted the rapid growth of women's participation, noting that 17 women's teams had registered in the regional league. He pointed to the Reel women's team as a benchmark, signalling that future state and private sponsorships would likely depend on demonstrable commitments to women's athletic development.
