“Impact 2024 International. This is the incubation programme initiated by the French Development Agency (AFD) to finance projects that will contribute to sustainable development in Africa. For its third phase, the call for projects open until 1 September 2022 is aimed at athletes and sports associations operating mainly on the continent.
The 26 winners of this programme, co-organised by the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games (Paris 2024) team, will each receive a grant of up to €40,000. In addition to financial support, AFD will provide technical assistance including the construction of an economic model and a marketing plan, the implementation of different communication techniques adapted to their interlocutors (partners, clients, investors), and the evaluation of the social and environmental impact of these projects.
Sport for sustainable development
“These micro-projects will use sport as a means to achieve their objectives, while transmitting the values of Olympism, civic commitment and social cohesion conveyed by sport. They respond to local demand and seek to improve living conditions and empower populations in difficulty in the long term,” AFD said.
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As part of the second phase of “Impact 2024 International”, the jury led by France’s Ambassador for Sport Laurence Fischer (former world karate champion, editor’s note) selected several initiatives linked to education, gender equality and climate change. Among these projects is that of Cameroonian table tennis player Sarah Hanffou. The table tennis player has launched Tako, a start-up that reduces the ecological footprint of her table tennis tables, which she manufactures and sells to individuals and national sports federations in Africa.
For more information on the call for projects, click here.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi