Former FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura Joins African Collaborations Group Advisory Board

Former FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura has joined the Advisory Board of African Collaborations Group (ACG), strengthening the organisation’s efforts to develop bankable sport and entertainment districts across Africa.

Ms Samoura served as Secretary General of FIFA from 2016 to 2023 and has been a member of the Senate of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) since February 2022.

ACG, a strategic project origination and collaboration platform focused on the industrialisation of sport in Africa through the development of bankable sport and entertainment district ecosystems, announced her appointment in a statement.

Recognised as one of the most distinguished sport administrators of her generation, Ms Samoura brings more than three decades of international leadership experience spanning sport, development, humanitarian affairs and global governance.

She became the first woman and first non-European to serve as FIFA Secretary General. During her tenure, she oversaw FIFA’s global administration across major operational and institutional functions, including the delivery of two FIFA World Cups and two FIFA Women’s World Cups.

Ms Samoura also played a leading role in strengthening FIFA’s governance, member association services and international development programmes.

Before joining FIFA, she spent more than 21 years with the United Nations, holding senior leadership positions in humanitarian and development operations with organisations including the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Her UN career took her across Africa, Central and South America and Asia, providing extensive experience in working with governments, international institutions and development partners.

She has served as a Senate Member of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile since February 2022.

According to ACG, Ms Samoura’s appointment strengthens its Advisory Board with expertise in global sport governance, institutional leadership, international development, federation relations and the delivery of major sporting events.

These capabilities, the organisation said, are directly relevant to originating and structuring large-scale sport and entertainment district projects across Africa.

"Fatma Samoura is one of the most distinguished sport administrators of her generation. Her unique experience at the intersection of global governing bodies, national federations, governments and international institutions is precisely the calibre of expertise ACG needs as we originate a new generation of bankable sport and entertainment district ecosystems across the African continent. Her presence on our Advisory Board is a genuine strategic asset," said Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, Founder and Executive Chairman of ACG.

The ACG Advisory Board provides strategic guidance as the organisation originates and structures large-scale sport and entertainment district projects across the continent.

It works to align governments, development finance institutions (DFIs), investors, sport bodies and infrastructure partners to support the development of financially sustainable, mixed-use district ecosystems.

Africa’s sport economy is projected to reach $20 billion by 2035. However, the continent continues to face a shortage of integrated district ecosystems capable of supporting large-scale development.

ACG seeks to address this gap by originating bankable sport and entertainment district projects, moving beyond single-venue development models towards mixed-use, revenue-generating and financially sustainable district ecosystems.

Through its collaborative model, ACG brings together governments, public-private partnership (PPP) authorities and regulators, development finance institutions, private investors, developers, designers and engineers, legal and transaction advisers, operators, sport federations and leagues, event promoters, media and broadcast partners, academic institutions and host communities.

The approach is designed to create structured pathways from concept and feasibility through to bankability and delivery of sport and entertainment district projects across Africa.