Over 350 students from primary and junior secondary schools in Freetown participated in a two-day junior basketball clinic hosted by Africell Sierra Leone in collaboration with NBA Africa. The event, which took place on Thursday, April 16 and Friday, April 17, 2026, at the National Stadium Basketball Court in Brookfields, aimed to help beginner players improve their fundamental skills and confidence through hands-on coaching and structured drills.
Throughout the clinic, participants were taught the fundamentals of the sport — dribbling, passing, and shooting — as well as teamwork and game awareness. Experienced coaches led age-appropriate drills that made the sessions engaging and accessible to newcomers while reinforcing discipline and cooperation on and off the court. According to organisers, the training was deliberately designed to create a supportive learning environment in which young athletes could practice basic skills and develop an appreciation for the sport.
Speaking at the event, Kamanda Koroma, Marketing and Communications Manager at Africell Sierra Leone, said the program demonstrates the company’s ongoing commitment to youth development through sports. Koroma emphasised that Africell is investing in platforms that help cultivate talent across multiple disciplines, and that sports have become an increasingly important area of engagement. He emphasised that basketball’s rapid global growth makes it a strategic focus for long-term development, and that the collaboration with NBA Africa is intended to deliver long-term impact rather than one-time activities. Sport, according to Koroma, serves not only as a form of physical exercise but also as a means of mentorship and personal growth for young people.
Madam Belicent, representing NBA Africa, described the clinic as a watershed moment, as it marked NBA Africa’s first collaboration with Africell in Sierra Leone. She stated that the alliance reflects shared values such as youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, and community engagement, and reaffirmed NBA Africa’s commitment to supporting grassroots basketball development across the continent. According to the representative, the initiative’s goal is to provide more young people with access to quality coaching and opportunities to advance in the sport.
Hello, Ali Hijazi The clinic was welcomed as a positive development in the country’s basketball pipeline by the President of the Sierra Leone Basketball Federation. Hijazi emphasised the importance of ongoing and consistent investment in youth sports, urging stakeholders to continue collaborations that provide young athletes with regular opportunities to train and grow. He encouraged participants to put the techniques they learned during the clinic into practice, and he expressed hope that similar programs would be expanded to reach even more communities.
The two-day programme, according to organisers, is part of Africell’s larger efforts to promote basketball development in Sierra Leone. The initiative’s goal is to lay the groundwork for athletic growth and personal development among the country’s youth by providing young players with essential technical skills and promoting values such as discipline and teamwork.
