NBA and OCP Group expand Jr. NBA programming in Morocco and Rwanda

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  • 10-Time NBA All-Star Ray Allen Attends Jr. NBA Launch Events in Khouribga, Youssoufia and Benguerir, Morocco.
  • The creation of Jr. NBA leagues in Morocco and Rwanda is based on the NBA and OCP Group’s commitment to the development of the African continent through sport and its values.

 

Johannesburg and Casablanca, Sept. 9, 2019 - OCP Group (OCP) and The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today a new multi-year partnership to expand Jr. NBA programs, teach life skills and build new basketball courts in Khouribga, Youssoufia and Benguerir, Morocco and in Rwanda where OCP Group invests. This partnership will leverage the transformative power of basketball to empower Moroccan and Rwandan young people.

The announcement was made during the opening ceremony on the newly built basketball court at Ennahda in Khouribga, Morocco in the presence of OCP Chairman and CEO, Mostafa Terrab; NBA Africa Managing Director and Basketball Africa League President, Amadou Gallo Fall; and 10-time NBA All-Star, Ray Allen.

The Jr. NBA Benguerir League will launch at Salle Omnisport in Benguerir on Sep. 10, and the Jr. NBA Kigali League will tip-off at Integrated Polytechnic Regional Center in Kigali, Rwanda on Sep. 21.

“I am always inspired by the talent and energy of our young people,” said Mr Terrab. “Sport has the power to change lives. The goal of this project is to help them develop their potential through a sport they love. We are very happy to be launching this great project with the NBA in Khouribga, Benguerir and Youssoufia where OCP has such an integral place in the community. This partnership with the NBA is part of the OCP’s Act4Community initiative which is carried out volunteers and one of the major objectives is development through sport.”

“We are thrilled to partner with OCP Group to expand our Jr. NBA programming in Morocco and Rwanda,” said Mr. Fall. “As we continue to push the boundaries of accessibility to our game, this partnership will make a tremendous contribution and will inspire more boys and girls to play the game of basketball and grow with its core values. It will also empower coaches and program administrators to act as role models for the youth in their communities.”

OCP Group’s ACT 4 COMMUNITY, launched in 2017, aims to mobilize the Group’s resources in service of the populations in the communities in which it operates.

The Jr. NBA programs in both countries will see 60 school teams (30 boys and 30 girls teams) competing for their respective leagues’ championship. Each school team will represent one of the 30 NBA Championship teams and will wear that NBA team’s branded jerseys for their games.

As part of this partnership, the Jr. NBA players and coaches will take part in interactive life-skills seminars focused on youth empowerment and designed to teach leadership, communication skills and health awareness. The life-skills curriculum will be delivered by longstanding NBA partner, Hoops 4 Hope.

The Jr. NBA, the league’s global youth basketball participation program for boys and girls, teaches the fundamental skills as well as the core values of the game at the grassroots level in an effort to help grow and improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents. This year, the NBA is reaching more than 51 million youth in 75 countries through league play, in-school programming, clinics, skills challenges, and other outreach events.

 

About OCP

OCP plays an important role in feeding a growing global population, by providing essential elements for soil fertility and plants growth. With almost a century of experience and revenues reaching $ 5.95 billion in 2018, OCP Group is a leader in the phosphate rock and the world’s first producer of phosphate-based fertilizers. OCP provides a wide range of well-adapted fertilizer products to enhance soil, increase agricultural yields, and help feeding the planet in a sustainable and affordable way. Thanks to its large-scale integrated industrial development strategy, OCP is present on the entire phosphate value chain and operates on all of its business lines, offering to its 23,000 employees a development path focused on excellence. Headquartered in Morocco, OCP works in a close partnership with more than 160 customers over five continents. Committed to best serve the development of Africa, OCP places innovation at the heart of its strategy, in particular to implement sustainable and prosperous agriculture on the continent. As a responsible industrial player, OCP is strongly committed to Africa’s environmental, social and human development. The Group is firmly convinced that leadership and profitability are necessarily synonymous to social responsibility and sustainable development. Its strategic vision resides where these two dimensions meet.

For more information, please visit OCP Group’s official site at: www.ocpgroup.ma

 

À Propos De La NBA

The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League. The NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2018-19 season featured 108 international players from 42 countries and territories. NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 1.6 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.

Contact
Pawel Weszka, NBA Africa
pweszka@nba.com
+27 10 007 2666

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