The partnership includes financial and infrastructural support to Real De Banjul FC.
Real de Banjul will in turn provide brand visibility for Africell.
The partnership will cover player development, 24-hour internet access, provision of mobile phones, fan club support, and infrastructure renovation, among other key areas of collaboration.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Africell, Hussein Diab Ghanem, underscored the company’s commitment to community development beyond telecommunications.
“We do not see ourselves just as a GSM or mobile telecommunication operator.
Through our Africell Impact Foundation, we focus on key areas that can drive change in the communities we serve, and sports is obviously one of them," Diab Ghanem said.
Diab Ghanem stated that hence Real De Banjul being one of the oldest and most successful clubs in The Gambia, they have a proven record of producing national and international players.
"Since our goal is to push Gambia forward and make it more recognisable, there is no partnership more valuable than this one," Diab Ghanem explained.
Diab Hussein expressed optimism that the partnership between Africell and Real de Banjul would enhance the team’s visibility and create more opportunities for Gambian youth to engage in sports, more especially football.
President of Real De Banjul FC, William Abraham, assured Africell that his club remains fully committed to fulfill its contractual obligations, whiling describing Real De Banjul as the most serious club in the country.
“We would not take this partnership lightly.
We would give Africell the maximum exposure needed to ensure full satisfaction with this collaboration,” Abraham said.
First-Vice President of Real de Banjul, Bakary K. Jammeh, commended Africell for its longstanding contribution to football development in The Gambia.
He noted that combining two success stories Africell and Real De Banjul would have a “multiplier effect,” especially as the country prepares for the professionalisation of its football league.
“This partnership will play a vital role in that transition,” he added.
“It shows that football is not just a matter of corporate social responsibility but a viable investment.”
Media Consultant of Africell, Musa Sise, described the partnership agreement as a continuation of the campany's 25-year legacy of supporting sports development in The Gambia.
“Africell is about progress, impact and changing lives. For the last 25 years, every major stride in Gambian sports has seen Africell at the forefront. Today marks yet another milestone,” Sise said.
