VP agrees to become basketball patron, names Alikiba, Harmonize as influential figures

DAR ES SALAAM: VICE President Deogratius Ndejembi, has agreed to become the patron of basketball in the country, expressing his passion for the sport and his ambition to see it achieve popularity comparable to football.

He urged artists and businesspeople to invest in basketball by owning teams, saying greater private investment would increase competition and excitement around the sport, as has been the case with football.

Ndejembi named musicians Alikiba and Harmonize among the influential figures who could use their popularity to promote basketball, citing artist Emanuel Mkono, popularly known as Nahreel, and his involvement with Reel basketball team as an example of how celebrity investment can support the sport’s growth.

He made the remarks during the Dar es Salaam Regional League finals between Dar City and Stein Warriors, held last night at the International School of Tanganyika (IST) court in Masaki. He said basketball had the potential to attract a much larger fan base if stakeholders joined forces to invest in its development.

The Vice-President said one of the encouraging aspects of the competition was the participation of women’s teams. He noted that the presence of 17 women’s teams demonstrated growing interest in basketball among women.

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He stressed that achieving the sport’s growth ambitions would require more sponsors, businesspeople and artists to invest in basketball teams. Such investment, he said, could strengthen teams, improve their performance and make competitions more competitive.

Ndejembi cited the Reel women’s team as an example of how support from stakeholders could contribute to a team’s success, emphasising that partnerships and sustained investment could bring significant changes to basketball in Tanzania.

On sports infrastructure, he said the Sixth Phase Government, under President Samia Suluhu Hassan, would make efforts to address the need for modern basketball courts and facilities.

He also thanked the management of the International School of Tanganyika for providing its court for the finals, describing the contribution as an important step towards promoting basketball in the country.

Ndejembi said collaboration among the government, sponsors, businesspeople, artists and other stakeholders was essential to expanding the sport, attracting more participants and building a larger following among fans.