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Former Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) Secretary General, Fatma Samoura, has joined the African Collaborations Group (ACG) which is focused on the industrialisation of sport in Africa through the origination of bankable sport and entertainment district ecosystems.
Samoura who served as the Secretary General of FIFA from 2016 to 2023 becoming the first woman and the first non-European to hold the position in FIFA’s historyy, brings more than three decades of international leadership experience spanning sport, development, humanitarian affairs and global governance.
During her tenure in FIFA, she oversaw global administration across its major operational and institutional functions, including the delivery of two FIFA World Cups and two FIFA Women’s World Cups. She also played a leading role in strengthening FIFA’s governance, member association services and international development programmes.
Before joining FIFA, Ms Samoura spent more than 21 years with the United Nations, holding senior leadership positions in humanitarian and development operations, including with the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Her UN career took her across Africa, Central and South America and Asia, giving her extensive experience working with governments, international institutions and development partners.
She has served as a Senate Member of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) since February 2022. Her appointment strengthens the ACG Advisory Board with exceptional expertise in global sport governance, institutional leadership, international development, federation relations and the delivery of major sporting events, capabilities directly relevant to originating and structuring large-scale sport and entertainment district projects across the African continent.
“Fatma Samoura is one of the most distinguished sport administrators of her generation. Her unique experience at the intersection of global governing bodies, national federations, governments and international institutions is precisely the calibre of expertise ACG needs as we originate a new generation of bankable sport and entertainment district ecosystems across the African continent. Her presence on our Advisory Board is a genuine strategic asset,” said Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard Founder and Executive Chairman of ACG.
The ACG Advisory Board provides strategic guidance as ACG originates and structures large-scale sport and entertainment district projects across the continent, aligning governments, development finance institutions (DFIs), investors, sport bodies and infrastructure partners to support the development of financially sustainable, mixed-use district ecosystems.
Africa’s sport economy is projected to reach $20 billion by 2035, yet the continent continues to lack the integrated district ecosystems required to support large-scale development. ACG addresses this gap by originating bankable sport and entertainment district projects, moving beyond single-venue development models towards mixed-use, revenue-generating and financially sustainable district ecosystems.
Through its collaborative model, ACG convenes governments, PPP authorities and regulators, development finance institutions, private investors, developers, designers and engineers, legal and transaction advisors, operators, sport federations and leagues, event promoters, media and broadcast partners, academic institutions and host communities, creating structured pathways from concept to feasibility, bankability and delivery.
