Sports Industry Policy will accelerate investment; add value to athletes, says Dare

Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, has promised that the new Sports Industry Policy being midwife by his ministry will accelerate development and add value to the country’s sportsmen and women.

Speaking while receiving the draft National Sports Industry Policy, Dare said the event was a milestone with the capacity to revolutinise sports business in Nigeria.

He congratulated members of the steering committee of the Sports Industry Working Group (SIWG), the policy validation committee and the National Sports Industry Policy Drafting Committee, the relevant MDAs, and Ministries for their commitment in bringing the draft policy into reality.

“This policy, no doubt, is a new dawn that will drive the process of moving sports away from being recreational to business. I recall the opportunity I had during the 25th Nigerian Economic Summit, to chair its Sports Industry Business Roundtable Session. The session featured various speakers from all sectors emphasizing the challenges in developing sports as a viable business sector capable of attracting investments and delivering returns to investors. This gave birth to set up various groups to review our 2009 sports policy, which no doubt is now obsolete.

“However, ​the draft National Sports Industry Policy is a review of the 2009 and 2018 editions and the exercise is principally intended to update the norms and values in the sports industry in achieving the mandate, vision and mission of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development in line with international best practices. Most importantly it will inject a business model into our sports development.”

“It is important to note that this reviewed National Sports Industry Policy will proffer solutions to 4 key trigger issues – 3 I s and I P that will take sports to the next level – Infrastructure, Investment, Incentives and policy.”

Dare said the National Sports Industry Policy will be unveiled to the public and the National Council of Sports for comments and feedbacks before it would be officially presented to the Federal Executive Council for final approval.