Chief Executive Officer of Brila Media Group, Debbie Izamoje Okolie, was in Kigali, Rwanda, joining sports executives, investors, policymakers, federation officials and media leaders from across the continent at the third edition of the SportsBiz Africa Forum, a major platform focused on the business, investment and development of sport in Africa.
The Forum officially kicked off on Wednesday, September 9th, at the Kigali Convention Centre, organized under the auspices of the African Union Sports Council and the Rwanda Events Group. Proceedings commenced with a ministerial roundtable themed “The link between business and sport in service of Africa’s development,” bringing together Sports Ministers from across the continent, development institutions and private sector leaders.
Izamoje Okolie featured on the Forum’s Day One plenary, “Women Powering Africa’s Sports Economy,” a conversation examining the expanding role of women in shaping the business of sport across the continent, from media and commercial partnerships to executive leadership and grassroots development.
The session brought together women leaders from across the sports industry to explore how women were contributing to the growth of Africa’s sports economy and taking on greater influence across leadership, business, media and decision-making.
As CEO of Brila Media Group, Izamoje Okolie brought a perspective shaped by years of working at the intersection of sports, media, audiences and commercial partnerships within Nigeria’s highly engaged sports market. Notably, she was one of only three Nigerians invited by the Rwandan government and the African Union to the Forum, underscoring the weight her voice carried in the continental conversation.
Under her leadership, Brila Media had continued to build beyond traditional sports broadcasting, expanding its presence across digital content, sports storytelling, commercial partnerships and audience engagement. This placed Debbie Izamoje Okolie at the centre of conversations around how sports media could connect audiences, brands and the wider business of sport.
Her participation came at a time when Africa’s sports industry was attracting growing interest from brands, investors and other stakeholders, with media rights, sponsorship, technology, fan engagement, talent development and infrastructure increasingly shaping the commercial future of sport on the continent.
The SportsBiz Africa Forum, held from September 10–11 at the Kigali Convention Centre, brought together key stakeholders from across Africa’s sports ecosystem to examine the opportunities and challenges facing the industry. The 2026 programme spanned sports business and investment, policy and governance, media and broadcasting, technology, talent development, women in sports business, esports and other areas of the continent’s emerging sports economy.
The Forum’s focus on women powering Africa’s sports economy came as women continued to take on more influential roles across the sports value chain, not only as athletes and administrators, but also as executives, media professionals, entrepreneurs, investors and decision-makers.
For Nigeria, Izamoje Okolie’s participation provided an opportunity to bring the experience of one of the country’s established sports media organisations into a wider continental conversation about the future of the industry.
Nigeria’s large sports audience and strong connection between sport, media and popular culture made its sports market an important part of Africa’s wider sports business landscape. Izamoje Okolie’s contribution therefore brought into focus the role media organisations could play in growing audiences, creating commercial value and strengthening the connection between fans, brands and sporting properties.
Brila Media CEO, Debbie Izamoje Okolie
Her participation added a Nigerian sports media voice to that conversation, further positioning Brila Media within the growing continental dialogue around the business and future of African sports
