Rugby Africa President Herbert Mensah will take the case for Africa retaining more of the economic value created by its sporting talent to the global stage after accepting an invitation to speak at Unstoppable Africa 2026, the flagship gathering of the Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI) during United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week in New York.
Mensah, who also serves on the World Rugby Executive Board and chairs World Rugby Regions, will participate on September 21 in the session “Real Value from the Field: Protecting and Profiting from Africa’s Talent Pipeline.”
The discussion will examine how better contracts, smarter scouting systems and stronger regional leagues can help ensure that a greater share of the value generated by African athletes remains within the continent’s clubs, academies, communities and sporting institutions.
The September 20–21 gathering is expected to attract approximately 4,000 participants, including heads of state, global business leaders, investors and entrepreneurs.
For African sports business, Mensah’s participation is significant because it positions sport as part of Africa’s wider economic and investment conversation rather than simply an entertainment sector.
African athletes generate enormous value for leagues, clubs, broadcasters and sponsors around the world, yet the institutions responsible for identifying and developing much of that talent frequently capture only a fraction of the downstream economics.
Bringing that discussion into GABI creates an opportunity to connect sports development with investment, intellectual property, professional leagues, infrastructure and institution-building — and strengthens the argument that Africa’s next sports revolution must be about owning more of the value it creates.
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