The under-19 selection brings together emerging basketball talent from eight African countries and will compete at the East Africa Basketball Club Championship in Nairobi from December 1–6.
NAIROBI, Kenya – November 6, 2026
AfriqueU has partnered with FIBA Africa Zone V ahead of the 2026 East Africa Basketball Club Championship (EABCC), unveiling an ambitious initiative that will see the introduction of the inaugural AfriqueU All-Stars, a select under-19 team bringing together some of the region’s promising young basketball talent.
The partnership agreement was signed on October 25, 2026, in Tanzania during the closing ceremony of the Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA) Zone V Qualifiers.
The agreement was signed by Pioneer Creative 54, the commercial arm of AfriqueU, which will serve as the championship’s commercial partner, with AfriqueU also signing as a party to the collaboration.
The inaugural AfriqueU All-Stars will participate in this year’s East Africa Basketball Club Championship, scheduled to take place at the Nyayo Indoor Gymnasium in Nairobi, Kenya, from December 1–6, 2026. Their participation will provide the selected young athletes with an opportunity to compete on a regional stage, gain valuable experience and showcase their abilities to coaches, scouts and other basketball stakeholders.
The All-Stars selection will feature players drawn from eight FIBA Zone V countries: Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Egypt and South Sudan, bringing together emerging talent from across the region under one team.
The initiative seeks to provide a platform where young athletes can compete, develop their skills and showcase their potential while accessing wider opportunities within the international basketball ecosystem.
Player identification and scouting have been led by AfriqueU under the technical direction of Coach Corey Gaines, who oversees the talent assessment and team development process. FIBA Zone V will retain authority over player eligibility and approval of the final 12-player roster.
As part of the partnership, AfriqueU will facilitate the team’s preparation and participation, covering travel, accommodation, uniforms, medical support and other essential requirements.
Beyond the competition, the collaboration seeks to strengthen the commercial potential of basketball in the region by connecting brands and organisations with a growing basketball audience.
Through its player-first approach, AfriqueU continues to focus on building pathways that connect African basketball talent to opportunities in the United States collegiate system and other international basketball markets.
The inaugural All-Stars programme is expected to be an important step in that vision, using regional competition as a platform for talent identification, development and increased visibility.
Partnership and sponsorship opportunities around the championship and the All-Stars programme are open to interested brands and organisations.
