AFA Nation is Here

Vanessa Obioha

Top Africa sportswear brand AFA Sports Apparel has debuted its quarterly publication: AFA Nation. The 157-page magazine is a glossy potpourri of text and images that details the journey of the brand founded by Ugo Udezue, a former basketball player and NBA agent, and introduces readers to their new luxury products such as the Afrileisure collection. For its cover story, the magazine has Ezinne Kalu, a Nigerian basketball player who plays for the national women’s team D’Tigress. Paul Okoye, also known as Rudeboy was also featured. It also highlighted its latest feat as the first African sports brand was represented at the Olympics. AFA is the official apparel sponsor of D’Tigress.

In a recent THISDAY interview, Udezue had disclosed that his core objective upon returning to Nigeria was to start a basketball league that would rival the NBA. He started the African Basketball League with six teams in 2017 and rebranded it into the 10-team Continental Basketball League in six African countries. Through his efforts, the NBA Africa was born, and recently, he was appointed the chairman of the Anambra Basketball Association.

AFA, he said, in that interview was born out of necessity to kit his basketball players. However, the dream has expanded to include athleisure wear, footwear and accessories. The brand today is known for its originality, conscientiousness and creativity. Its slogan ‘This is Ours’ — which is also the debut edition’s theme’ — speaks to creativity by Africans for Africans.

The brand prides itself on filling the niche to satisfy the necessity for sports and athleisure apparel as well as shoes that cater to the needs of the African environment.

Udezue in a recent chat said that he was inspired to start the publication to chronicle the journey of the brand.

His new collection Afrileisure incorporates African traditional concepts in a modernised way to suit the athleisure and sports environment. For instance, one can get a Kaftan tee or hijab hoodie. Other styles include CAT (Contemporary, African Tribal), a reflection of the unique mosaic of the African ecosystems