ADEKUNLE
16 NOV 2017
The partnership between Aiteo and CAF is sure to deepen football on the African continent, Bonny Kant writes.

When Ahmad Ahmad became the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in May, he did something strange. He refused to accept a salary.


Another African from Nigeria, 5,205km away from Ahmad’s home country, Madagascar, is making his own sacrifice. His name is Benedict Peters, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Aiteo Group. Peters is bankrolling football projects in Nigeria and at the continental level.
Ahmad and Peters have a passion for football, and they believe that it is a sure bet to getting millions of young Africans engaged and liberated from some of the dangerous ills of the society.

Ahmad wants to bring back confidence in African football. While contesting for the CAF presidency in early 2017, he stated his vision for the continent, and part of it is his desire to promote inclusiveness, improve governance, increase transparency and develop African football by reinvestment.

Ahmad has not concealed his desire to reinvest CAF’s resources into the development of football across the continent. He stressed that “CAF is not here to make money to enrich itself.”

Convergence of visions

With the sealing of a sponsorship deal between Peter’s Aiteo Group and Ahmad’s CAF, there was some sort of convergence of goals between the two men.
Ahmad has found someone with a shared vision in the Energy company’s founder, Benedict Peters. These two men, head two different organizations, from two different African countries, and yet, have a joint vision to take African football to the next level.
Peters is regarded as the 17th richest man in Africa by Ventures Africa. He is sitting atop what many now regard as the largest indigenous petroleum company by output in Nigeria. Peters sees football as a veritable tool for change, unity and progress. He also sees the sport as challenged. Finance, and poor publicity on the continent has stalled to growth of many local leagues.

“Ask any young African if they are a football fan and they will surely say Yes,” he wrote for the Huffington Post recently. “But ask them which team they support and the answer is more likely to be Manchester United, Barcelona or Real Madrid, than Rivers Angels, Accra Hearts of Oak or Canon Yaoundé,” he added.

Benedict Peters has placed himself at the right spot to determine history and change this circumstance. For the past two years, the Aiteo Group has been investing heavily in football in Nigeria. A N2.5billion (About $7million) deal with the country’s football authorities eased the payment of salaries for the National team coach and other football officials. Aiteo also gave special bonuses to players of the National team, the Super Eagles, during their World Cup qualifiers.

The company also took over the sponsorship of the local federation cup, the oldest football tournament in the country. The competition has now been rebranded Aiteo Cup, and the prize money for the winners increased five-fold. The deal with CAF to sponsor the football awards, shows that Aiteo has stepped up its engagement in football from the National to the Continental level.

To read more: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/11/benedict-peters-ahmad-ahmad-two-leaders-one-vision-african-football/amp/