•Nigeria draws over N50bn investment in 2025
Nigeria’s sports industry attracted more than N50 billion in private-sector investment in 2025, as growing global interest in African talent and entertainment creates new opportunities for business growth, Helios Sports & Entertainment Group (HSEG) has said.
The group said Africa’s sports economy was projected to reach $20 billion by 2035, driven by its growing youth population, increased digital connectivity and rising demand for sports and entertainment content.
However, it noted that limited funding for infrastructure, talent development and intellectual property continued to constrain the sector’s growth and its ability to create jobs, particularly for young people.
HSEG, an investment platform established by Helios Investment Partners to support Africa’s sports and creative industries, said it was addressing these gaps through investments in sports properties, talent development, entertainment and venues.
Its portfolio includes Professional Fighters League (PFL) Africa, NBA Africa, Zaria Group and The Malachite Group, which operates entertainment brands including Afro Nation.
According to PwC’s Global Sports Survey, Africa’s sports market is expected to more than double by 2028, following growth of 2.8 per cent in 2023, positioning the continent among the world’s three fastest-growing sports regions.
The group said the combination of a young population, expanding audiences and growing international demand for African talent presented significant opportunities for investors willing to provide long-term capital and industry expertise.
One of its investments, PFL Africa, was established in 2024 through a joint venture between HSEG and the Professional Fighters League, the world’s second-largest mixed martial arts league, according to the statement.
The platform aims to develop local fighters, grow audiences and create opportunities for African athletes to compete in international professional tournaments.
In June 2026, PFL Africa staged its first Nigerian event at the Eko Convention Centre in Lagos, featuring eight Nigerian fighters, including Wasi Adeshina and Patrick Ocheme.
The event, which the group described as the largest mixed martial arts event in West African history, provided a platform for local athletes to compete before home fans while connecting them to an international professional league.
Ocheme recorded a first-round knockout, while Raphael Uchegbu also won his bout. Adeshina headlined the event, which included promotional activities across Lagos to build interest beyond the arena.
HSEG said the event demonstrated how sustained private investment could help establish commercially viable sports platforms, attract audiences and create opportunities for athletes and other industry participants.
Beyond mixed martial arts, the group’s investments cover other areas of the sports and entertainment value chain.
NBA Africa manages the National Basketball Association’s business interests across the continent and owns the Basketball Africa League (BAL), while Zaria Group develops and manages sports and entertainment venues and infrastructure.
The Malachite Group focuses on global content and live entertainment experiences through brands such as Afro Nation and Piano People.
The group said the investments were designed to connect African talent and audiences with the capital, infrastructure and commercial platforms needed to expand the industry.
NBA Africa, in which HSEG has invested since 2021, offers another example of the commercial potential of the continent’s sports market.
The 2026 BAL season featured 12 clubs from 12 African countries across 42 games in South Africa, Morocco and Rwanda, attracting more than 110,000 fans.
The Kalahari Conference in Pretoria recorded 38,677 spectators, the highest attendance for a BAL conference phase to date, according to HSEG.
The group said such figures highlighted the growing demand for live sporting events and the potential to build valuable sports properties around African talent and audiences.
Tope Lawani, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Helios Investment Partners LLP, said the group’s sports and entertainment investments reflected its long-standing commitment to identifying business opportunities across Africa while generating economic and social benefits.
“Helios Sports and Entertainment Group is a demonstration of our unwavering passion for Africa and its people and the continuation of the Helios investment strategy,” Lawani said.
He said the strategy created investment opportunities across sports and entertainment, from supporting start-ups to providing established businesses with growth capital and expertise.
HSEG said continued investment in sports infrastructure, intellectual property and talent development would be critical to turning rising global interest in African sports and entertainment into sustainable businesses and employment opportunities.
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