Prince Harry and Meghan Partner with Giants of Africa to Empower Youth Through Sport in Nigeria

Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan attend a basketball event in Lagos, Nigeria. © REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

Prince Harry and Meghan Partner with Giants of Africa to Empower Youth Through Sport in Nigeria

During a recent trip to Nigeria, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were treated to street-style dances in Nigeria’s commercial hub, Lagos, where they unveiled a partnership between their Archewell Foundation and non-profit Giants of Africa, which uses sport to empower young people.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Africa’s most populous nation for the first time after being invited by Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff.

The two charities announced their partnership while visiting Ilupeju Senior Grammar School in Lagos. During their visit, Harry and Meghan shared that through the partnership with the Archewell Foundation, Giants of Africa will be able to expand programming to include an additional adaptive court and accessible sport in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.

The Archewell Foundation was created by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex in October 2020. They operate with a simple mission: show up, do good. By showing up, they take action to spotlight, uplift, and unite communities—local and global—through acts of service and compassion.

Similarly, Giants of Africa, co-founded by Toronto Raptors President and General Manager Masai Ujiri, brings basketball camps to communities in Africa to empower youth through sport and to inspire them to create positive change in their communities. Ujiri co-founded the non-profit with a childhood friend in 2003, and more than two decades later, the organization has positively impacted thousands of kids across 17 countries and shows no signs of slowing down.

“What you guys are doing here at Giants of Africa is truly amazing,” Harry said. “The power of sport can change lives. It brings people together and creates community and there are no barriers, which is the most important thing.”

The results are impressive: Over 200 of Giants of Africa’s campers have attended high school or university in the United States. On top of that, hundreds of Giants of Africa alumni, inspired by the game of basketball, have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, teachers, and community leaders.

The Duke and Duchess, accompanied by Ujiri, watched a basketball practice at the school, where Harry stepped on the court for some ball-bouncing drills and to shoot a hoop. They also hosted a clinic for approximately 50 boys and girls, including wheelchair basketball athletes, that included both skills-based and team-building exercises run by trained coaches.

Harry and Meghan also met with Dennis Ogbe, a Paralympian who highlighted the importance of inclusivity and the role of youth in shaping Africa’s future.

Wearing a Caroline Herrera button-down shirt and a Nigerian skirt that was gifted to her, Meghan said she had first heard of Giants of Africa while in Toronto, where she lived for seven years while making the hit TV legal drama Suits.

“Talk about full circle again—never did I think we would be able to be here all those years later supporting the expansion of this incredible organization,” she said.

(Source: Reuters)