OPINION: In its final year, Basketball Experience expands the court to every child

When the Basketball Experience program, an initiative by The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) in collaboration with NBA Africa, launched in Kenya in July 2024, its objective was clear: to empower young people with Life Skills, using basketball as a tool.

From the outset, the program focused on reaching children in schools with structured coaching and mentorship that extended beyond the court. Now, as it enters its final year, Basketball Experience is making one of its most consequential moves by placing inclusion at the center of its legacy.

The new component focuses specifically on children with hearing, visual, and physical mobility impairments and will be implemented across Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, and Kajiado counties, ensuring that the program’s impact reaches learners who are often excluded from organized sport.

From the beginning, the program’s strongest impact has been on life skills development. Children who joined the sessions learned confidence by stepping onto the court and taking responsibility for their performance.

They also learned discipline by committing to training schedules and respecting teammates and coaches. Decision making became part of every drill and match, while critical thinking shaped how they read the game.

As a result, basketball became more than a sport. It became a practical way for young people to understand themselves, manage peer influence, and resolve conflict in constructive ways. The reach of the program reinforces the scale of this impact.

 Through the joint AFD and NBA initiative, Basketball Experience engaged learners in 48 schools across Nairobi including four special needs schools. By the end of 2025, the programme had engaged 52,953 children through various activities. Of these, 50,934 learners were reached through school assemblies introducing life-skills themes, while 1,667 learners participated in structured basketball clinics that combined technical training with hands-on life-skills learning.

A further 352 learners took part in the national Final Game event, including 30 children with disabilities, marking an important step toward inclusive participation. Tens of thousands of children were exposed to structured basketball training, while 20 local coaches received professional development.

This approach mattered because it built capacity within communities. Therefore, even as the program winds down, trained coaches and established school systems remain in place to continue the work.

Another defining element has been access to mentorship and high-level expertise. Young people aged 8 to 18 trained under experienced coaches. For many participants, this exposure was transformative. It showed them what was possible beyond their immediate environment. Consequently, aspirations shifted.

Basketball became a gateway to broader conversations about leadership, health, gender equality, and personal responsibility. In other words, the court became a space where ambition was normalized rather than discouraged. The defining development, however, comes in the program’s final phase. This year, Basketball Experience introduced a structured inclusivity component targeting 32 schools serving children with disabilities.

These include 10 schools for children with visual impairments, 11 for children with hearing impairments, and 11 for children with mobility impairments. This expansion is not symbolic. Training methods have been adapted, coaches have been equipped with inclusive techniques, and sessions have been redesigned to ensure meaningful participation for every child across Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos and Kajiado counties. An example of this can be seen in how drills rely on sound cues, tactile guidance, or modified movement patterns depending on participants’ needs.

As might be expected, the impact has been immediate. Children who are often excluded from sports programs are now active participants, learning teamwork, building confidence, and developing a sense of belonging. Furthermore, their peers are learning inclusion in practice rather than theory, which strengthens empathy and cooperation across the group.

This is reflected in regular clinic participation, where 1,990 learners were engaged more intensively, including 1,032 boys without disabilities, 862 girls without disabilities, and 96 children with disabilities who joined general activities. This inclusivity focus also sends a broader message to schools and communities.

Inclusion is not an extra feature to be added later. It is a core principle that improves outcomes for everyone. By integrating children of all abilities into its final year, the program has demonstrated how sports initiatives can be both ambitious and equitable.

Similarly, it has shown that ending a program does not mean slowing its vision. It can mean sharpening it. As Basketball Experience moves through its final year, its legacy is already taking shape, even as the work continues.

Kenya stands alongside Morocco, Nigeria, and Senegal as countries that have implemented the initiative at scale, and the months ahead will feature a full calendar of activities that will further test and demonstrate the program’s impact. Therefore, this is not a closing chapter but a period to watch closely.

While participation numbers tell part of the story, the deeper outcomes are unfolding in real time, visible in young people who communicate better, make more confident decisions, and carry a stronger sense of self-worth.

 Finally, when the last sessions conclude and the equipment is packed away, the impact will continue. Skills learned on the court will travel into classrooms, homes, and future workplaces. Therefore, while the program may be ending, its influence is far from over. In expanding the court to include every child, Basketball Experience has ensured that its final year will be remembered as its most defining one.

Peter Martey Addo is the Deputy Director, Agence Française de Développement (AFD). Dlamini Baleseng is the Marketing Partnerships Management and Business Development Lead, NBA Africa.