On Thursday, June 15, 2023, ExxonMobil, NBA Africa, and PanAfricare tipped off the 10th season of the Power Forward youth development program, which teaches health literacy and life skills to secondary school students in Abuja using basketball.
More than 200,000 youths in Abuja have participated in the initiative since it launched in 2013.
On Thursday, June 15, 2023, ExxonMobil, NBA Africa, and PanAfricare tipped off the 10th season of the Power Forward youth development program, which teaches health literacy and life skills to secondary school students in Abuja using basketball.
The 10th edition of the initiative tipped off with a basketball clinic for 200 youth ages 13–16 at the Africa International College Kaura.
The event was attended by Manager, Media, and Communications for ExxonMobil Affiliate Companies in Nigeria Oge Udeagha, NBA Africa Vice President and Country Head for Nigeria Gbemisola Abudu, PanAfricare Nigeria Country Director Dr. Patrick Adah, and Nigerian former NBA player and 2015 FIBA AfroBasket champion Olumide Oyedeji.
Ahead of the season tip-off, the NBA Academy Africa’s Associate Technical Director, Joe Touomou led a Jr. NBA coaching clinic for 45 coaches in the Power Forward program earlier this week.
Since the initiative launched in 2013, it has reached more than 200,000 youths and their communities in Abuja through life skills and public health awareness seminars, malaria prevention workshops, and basketball programming.
Speaking about the program, Chairman and Managing Director of ExxonMobil affiliate companies in Nigeria, Richard Laing said, “For the past 20 years, ExxonMobil’s Malaria Initiative has provided more than $37.4 million (over N15 billion) in cash grants to partners working to develop community-based solutions in Nigeria.
He explained that ExxonMobil’s Malaria Initiative worked with non-profit partners and leading global health organizations to advance progress against the disease in malaria-endemic countries by supporting malaria education and awareness, improving access to tools for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, strengthening health infrastructure, and advancing research and innovation.
“The initiative continues to support malaria prevention and control programs in Nigeria, which currently account for more than one-quarter of the global burden of the disease,” Laing said.
Abudu said the NBA is excited to launch the 10th edition of the Power Forward program in collaboration with ExxonMobil and PanAfricare.
“With a focus on youth empowerment and development, we continue to use the transformative power of the game to equip our youth with the skills necessary to succeed on the court and in life. The Power Forward program is a core component of our broader efforts to make basketball more accessible in Nigeria, and we look forward to continuing to work with our partners to expand our impact in communities across the country,” she said.
On her part, Dr. Adah disclosed that the youth in the project have continued to sensitize their peers and community members on the prevention of diseases of public health importance.
She said, “They have embraced innovative ways to spread these messages, such as through social media or radio talk shows. Power Forward, which launched in 10 Schools in 2013, and is now across 40 secondary schools in Abuja, uses basketball to teach health literacy, including malaria prevention and personal hygiene, and life skills such as leadership, respect, and responsibility.”
Last month, the Power Forward program commemorated the 2023 World Malaria Day by engaging the program’s beneficiaries, alumni, and other stakeholders in the Power Forward Malaria Youth Summit and Malaria Basketball Exhibition Game.
