I AM THE SYSTEM Part 2: Earning from Sports

Hivileo - Opinion Desk 6 hours ago

By Sheida Mutuku, CEO, Woodside Africa Group LLC

In developed countries, elite football athletes earn an average of approximately $325,000 (Ksh 42M) per month, with top-tier stars commanding upwards of $2.7M (Ksh 350M) monthly.

These athletes are high-productivity economic engines supported by systems deliberately designed for excellence.

Is it too much to support Africa’s own young sporty talent to start at a net of Ksh 500,000 ($3,850) per month, and build up from there?

Where they all but focus on developing and earning from a sports career? And the professional infrastructure, world-class coaching, and athlete commercialisation is all in place?

In your mind’s eye, picture the POA Sports Trophy…one day recognised as the highest accolade in global sport.

That is the scale of the ambition – to develop Africa’s immense sporting talent, as well as build the systems that recognise and reward it at the highest level.

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Building Sustainable Systems for Talent Development

It would be foolhardy to continue trudging the path of old, hoping that things will magically change for the better.

No. Developing our youth requires intense, deliberate, and continuous effort. This outlook and drive must remain independent of politics, because then it weakens generational sustainability.

It must not be reduced to vanity or chest thumping, because then it distracts from the real work.

At Pillars of Africa (POA), we believe Africa’s youth deserve a structured path to convert idle and underutilised talents into productivity.

POA focuses on all talented youth, including artists, sportspeople/athletes, young people in formal employment, civic & community leaders, and entrepreneurs.

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