Nairobi City Thunder and M-KOPA Announce Partnership for the Basketball Africa League Elite 16 Qualifiers hosted in Nairobi

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Nairobi City Thunder has announced a partnership with leading fintech M-KOPA to support the team through the Basketball Africa League (BAL) Elite 16 Qualifiers, hosted in Nairobi from November 28th to December 3rd 2024. This sponsorship is bolstering Nairobi City Thunder’s bid to become a BAL team with financial support during the Elite 16 tournament, as well as their M-KOPA X20 smartphones that will support the team in documenting their journey to the Basketball Africa League. The Elite 16 tournament is the final qualification stage for African teams contending for a slot in the Basketball Africa League in 2025, and with the support of M-KOPA, Nairobi City Thunder aims to be the first Kenyan team to take part in the competition.

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“M-KOPA embodies a commitment to inclusive progress that aligns with our own approach to basketball – that steady progress will get you to your goal, and nothing is impossible with the right partner by your side,” said Colin Rasmussen, CEO of Nairobi City Thunder. “M-KOPA has cemented its position as a market leader in digital connectivity and financial inclusion, and we love to see them come onboard as a Nairobi City Thunder partner to help drive Kenyan basketball to the next level.” 

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“Sport is a powerful platform for empowering young people in our communities. Nairobi City Thunder’s efforts to elevate basketball, create jobs, and support aspiring players are truly inspiring,” said Martin Kingori, General Manager M-KOPA Kenya. “This aligns with our mission to finance progress by providing access to life-changing opportunities through our digital and financial solutions. We’re excited to cheer the team on in this important tournament.”

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Nairobi City Thunder Chief Business Officer, Sandra Kimokoti, commented, “As we build Nairobi City Thunder into an African basketball powerhouse, we are especially keen to continue creating economic opportunities for young Africans. What I love about the M-KOPA partnership is we believe in the same thing – both our organizations are dedicated to empowering individuals and communities.” The partnership between M-KOPA and Nairobi City Thunder will run to the end of the BAL Elite 16 tournament, and will hopefully power Nairobi City Thunder to become the first Kenyan team to qualify for the Basketball African League. 

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For media enquiries, please contact: 

Vince Oyolo, Media Coordinator –  Nairobi City Thunder: media@twendesports.com

Reatile Tekateka, Director of Communications & External Affairs – M-KOPA: press@m-kopa.com 

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About M-KOPA:

M-KOPA is a UK-headquartered emerging market fintech that provides affordable smartphones and digital financial services. With operations in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda, the company has extended over $1.5 billion in credit to more than 5 million customers.

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Using an innovative financing model based on daily repayments, M-KOPA provides affordable smartphones embedded with financial services that fit with the cash flow of millions of underserved individuals who earn their income on a daily basis.

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By leveraging rich payments data and proprietary AI-driven analytics, M-KOPA builds a credit record for each customer which forms the foundation for a long-term financial relationship for digital loans, affordable data subscriptions and insurance.

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