Rwandan lawyer, public administrator, businesswoman and politician Clare AKAMANZI who previously served as executive director and chief executive officer of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) has been appointed as new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NBA Africa replacing Victor williams who is going to resign by the end of December 2023.
Akamanzi will start operating on January 23, 2024 and will be reporting to National Baskteball Association Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum.
Akamanzi has served on several company boards, including the World Health Organization (WHO) Foundation, ECOBANK and Aviation, Travel and Logistics (ATL) company.
Akamanzi holds different degrees in different courses including Bachelor of laws from Makerere University in Uganda, Master of laws from University of Pretoria in South Africa, Master of Public Administration from Havard University in United States of America and she holds honorary degree in laws from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, in recognition of her work in Rwanda.
Akamanzi was appointed to the CEO of RDB in 2017 and served until September 2023. Under her leadership, RDB has inaugurated several business policy which led to the development of the country through the partnerships with Basketball Africa League (BAL), Arsenal FC, Paris Saint-Germain, and FC Bayern Munich, among others.
In her role as CEO of NBA Africa, Akamanzi will oversee the NBA’s business and basketball development efforts in Africa and the growth of the popularity of the sport, the NBA and the BAL across Africa.
Talking about appointing Clare Akamanzi, Deputy Commisisioner and Chief Operating officer of the NBA, Mark Tatum said,” Clare’s business acumen, international experience and familiarity with basketball and the NBA make her the ideal executive to lead our business in Africa”
Tatum continues saying that NBA and BAL believes that under Clare’s leadership, the initiatives of continuing growth will transform economies, communities and lives across the continent.