Sponsors may be hesitant to invest more in women’s sports due to perceived lower audience appeal.
But stakeholders are thinking differently in as far as women empowerment in sports is concerned.
Ntoudi Mouyelo, the Managing Director of Mchezo Limited believes increasing popularity of the women’s sport through sports sponsorships is a befitting vector for bolstering brand loyalty.
As a corporate, we have been investing more in women’s sports in the region, simply for one factor, women give us more value to our sponsorship than men. And there are sports for which we are starting with women now, so again, if there are women federations that have interest, please come to us. The statistics are there, and I do believe that there are more women than the youth in East Africa. At Mchezo, we do give the same support to women and men in terms of bonus and awards.
Ntoudi Mouyelo, the Managing Director of Mchezo Limited
Ntoudi was speaking during the Round Table stakeholder conference at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa which is one of the venues hosting the ongoing 14th East African Community Inter Parliamentary Games (EAC-IPG).
Diana Mayaka from the Basketball Referees Association, on her part, echoed Ntoudi’s sentiments saying: “Women have not gotten equal treatment in terms of sponsorship opportunities in sports over the years. In events, usually men get more in terms of prize money. This is a discussion we have been having over time.” Mayaka added.
“As for the government, they are trying as much as possible to ensure that all genders are treated the same. The government facilitates education to athletes, staff and coaches to empower them so that they can continue growing the sport and this benefits women as well.”
Kanini Kega, the Chairman of the 2024 Inter Parliamentary Games noted that the regional extravaganza has gone a long way in enhancing corporation among the regional countries.
Kanini said: “Through sports and these games, we are able to integrate with each other. With these sports, we have seen that our people are able to communicate with each other. We are able to remove the physical boarders that were created by our colonial masters, to make sure that we feel part of one community, which is the East African community.”
“The same thrill and feel is seen when anyone of us competes at national level. For instance, when Kenyans and Ugandans are running marathons at the global arena, we as East Africans feel as one family.” Kanini added.
Mchezo is a regional company that invests in the future of sports and technology in Africa.
Mouyelo has led the company’s efforts to partner with sports federations to ensure that sponsorship benefits go directly to athletes.
One of the firm’s legacy projects is Mchezo’s Locker Room Bonus initiative which rewards players of the winning team with a financial bonus that is paid directly to their mobile wallets.
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