Sport as a Driver of Economic Development in SubSaharan Africa: Opportunities and Gaps

This paper critically reviews the potential of sport as a driver of economic development in SubSaharan Africa (SSA), highlighting both opportunities and systemic gaps. Drawing from interdisciplinary frameworks Sport-for-Development and Peace (SDP), entrepreneurial sport management, and policy coherence with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) the study explores how sport contributes to employment, tourism, entrepreneurship, and social inclusion across SSA. Despite its potential, sport remains underutilized due to fragmented policies, inadequate funding, postcolonial aid dynamics, and weak institutional capacity. Through a desk-based thematic synthesis of peer-reviewed literature and policy reports from 2003 to 2024, the review identifies four key themes: employability and entrepreneurship, sport tourism and mega-events, governance and policy vacuums, and structural inequalities. The review calls for African-led, context-sensitive policy and research approaches that prioritize equity, local ownership, and sustainable development outcomes.