AGORA programme for grassroots sport

A project managed by WinWin Afrique

The company WinWin Afrique has been tasked by the Côte d'Ivoire authorities to build a social and economic ecosystem through the construction of local sports centres. The aim is to encourage participation in sport and to use sport as a tool for development. The result is the AGORA programme.

A project managed by the Côte d’Ivoire Ministry of Sport

The Côte d’Ivoire Ministry of Sport and Leisure oversees the implementation and monitoring of government sports policy. It is responsible for encouraging participation in elite and grassroots sport and promoting and monitoring public and private sports facilities.

The AGORA programme, under which 91 complexes across Côte d'Ivoire are being built, is part of the country’s 2016–2020 National Sport Policy, which aims to increase participation in sport in the country.

Context

Only 7% of the population of Côte d’Ivoire regularly engages in any physical activity. In light of this fact, the Côte d’Ivoire Ministry of Sport incorporated into its 2016–2020 National Sport Policy a programme to support the promotion of grassroots sport and sport for all. It is within this context that WinWin Afrique developed the AGORA programme. In total, 91 local social and sports facilities, operated by private local entities, will be built across Côte d’Ivoire. The objective is to encourage participation in grassroots sport, especially among young people and women, while developing the local economic and social fabric.

The first Agora centre was built in the municipality of Koumassi in Abidjan and was inaugurated in December 2019 in the presence of Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, and Daniel Kablan Duncan, the Vice-President of Côte d’Ivoire.

While working on 90 other Agora centres in Côte d’Ivoire, WinWin Afrique aims to replicate its model in other African countries in partnership with local authorities.

Goals

Promote participation in grassroots sport
Ensure that the population of Côte d’Ivoire lives within 3 km of a sports facility
Raise awareness among local people of issues related to sustainable development (health, social innovation and environmental protection)
Stimulate the local economic fabric and create long-term local employment
Encourage the development of environmentally friendly facilities

Activities

Construction of 91 local social and sports facilities
Operation of centres by a private local entity to ensure the project’s financial viability
Generation of solar power for centres and surrounding areas
Partnerships with local organisations (Yunus Sports Hub, MakeSense, etc.)

Watch the opening ceremony of the Agora centre in Koumassi (video in French)

(source: Côte d’Ivoire Ministry of Sport)

Impacts

A programme that benefits local communities in Côte d’Ivoire, in particular women and young people
Nearly 5,000 jobs created in order to run the centres (approximately 50 per site)
Improvement in health, education and social cohesion, and promotion of gender equality

Funding

The first Agora centre was jointly funded by the Côte d’Ivoire Ministry of Sport and the Private Sector Study and Assistance Fund (known as FASEP) of the French Government’s Treasury Department.
Cost of one Agora centre: approximately €750,000

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