Saint-Louis: The Basketball Africa League and its partners are renovating the UGB basketball hall

The basketball court at Gaston Berger University (UGB) in Saint-Louis has undergone a major renovation. The initiative was led by the Basketball Africa League (BAL), in partnership with its collaborators, as part of a program aimed at rehabilitating local sports facilities and providing better playing conditions for young people.

The project is part of a broader initiative to bring sport closer to communities and create safe and youth-friendly spaces. Saint-Louis was chosen to host one of the first stages of this program, particularly because of its historical importance and its role in Senegal's economic and energy transformations.

At the inauguration of the renovated infrastructure, the president of BAL, Amadou Gallo Fall, welcomed the realization of this partnership.   “We are very pleased to be here in Saint-Louis, at Gaston Berger University. This initiative is part of our project to renovate local sports infrastructure,” he said.

According to him, this operation is not limited to the rehabilitation of a sports field. It also reflects the desire to ensure that the population, particularly young people, benefit from the positive effects of the country's economic development.   "It is only natural that this inauguration should begin here in Saint-Louis, a historic city, a world heritage site, but also a city located at the heart of the country's energy challenges," stressed Amadou Gallo Fall.

The head of the BAL believes that Senegal's natural resources must also contribute to creating opportunities for young people. "The resources we have in our subsoil should not only be measured in cubic meters or barrels. They must also allow us to create opportunities, particularly for these young people, by giving them access to safe play areas," he explained.

Sport as a tool for development

Through this partnership, the BAL intends to strengthen its commitment to community development. The organization, which notably manages a professional basketball league in Africa, hopes to expand this type of initiative to several countries in the sub-region.

“We are very proud of the professional championship we organize. We are now in our sixth year. But it is also partnerships like this one that allow us to meet the challenge we have set for ourselves: to contribute to the development of our communities,” added Mr. Fall.

For him, young people's access to sport is an important driver of development. The renovation of the UGB gymnasium should therefore provide students and young people in Saint-Louis with a safer and better-suited environment for playing basketball.

Amadou Gallo Fall also praised the work done by UGB officials, believing that their commitment to infrastructure and community development deserves to be supported.

"There is a leadership here that hasn't been sitting back. Those in charge are working with the resources available to them. I am convinced that great champions will emerge from here, just as great champions in other fields have already emerged from this university," he concluded.