Luanda, June 25, 2025 – On a morning marked by conviction and strategic vision, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Rui Falcão Pinto de Andrade, took the stage of the prestigious panel “Sport Means Business”, on the third day of the United States-Africa Business Summit, to defend what many still underestimate: the transformative power of sport as a real engine of economic development.
In front of more than 70 delegates, including businesspeople and dozens of government and private sector leaders from the US and Africa, Rui Pinto de Andrade was categorical: “If we want a competitive continent, we need to invest in sport with the same seriousness with which we invest in energy, technology or infrastructure.”
The panel, moderated by Terence Dambe, Managing Partner at DLA Piper Botswana, also brought together personalities such as Demin Richards, CEO of Opulent Entertainment Group, and Gianni Martins, President of Sporting Clube de Luanda, and brought to the table the numbers that speak for themselves: events such as the African Cup of Nations or the 2010 World Cup generated billions of dollars, created hundreds of thousands of jobs and catalyzed tourism, innovation and infrastructure in African countries.
Rui Pinto de Andrade went beyond the data and spoke of the untapped potential of sport in Africa, recalling that the market already exceeds 12 billion dollars and could reach 20 billion by 2035. “Either we invest now, or we will continue to be exporters of talent and importers of value”, he stressed, drawing applause from the audience.
The Angolan Minister’s intervention was a wake-up call to the necessary balance between a robust physical infrastructure and the operational elements that support global sports ecosystems. He spoke of talent, but also of public policies. He spoke of passion, but also of financing.
In the style of someone who believes in a country on the move, Rui Pinto de Andrade ended with a commitment: “Angola is ready to lead this new cycle of sports investment in Africa. And we want to do so with strategic partners, a clear vision and measurable impact.”
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