The Sport for Social Change Network Africa (SSCN) is a collaborative platform that brings together organisations, governments, NPOs, companies and individuals committed to using sport as a tool for development on the continent.
The organisation was originally set up by Nike in 2007, along with networks in Brazil, Kenya and the United Kingdom to create opportunities for sport to be an agent of change through public-private sector collaborations. SSCN has a secretariat that acts as a conduit between funders and members, with projects typically initiated by specific partners with specific objectives. The network works closely with strategic partners that include the DSAC, Alliance of Social Workers in Sports, The Jobs Fund, National Youth Development Agency, German Development Agency GIZ South Africa and Global, the Dutch Embassy, and Nike Africa and Global to promote pan-African social change through sport.
SSCN drives social change through sport via three pillars: member accreditation, knowledge-sharing and resource mobilisation. Members include NPOs, social enterprises and other entities that use sport to bring countries closer to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) most relevant to them – for example, Altus Sport uses sport as a tool for community, youth and gender empowerment, with the support of public and corporate partners. In 2023, Altus Sport partnered with Standard Chartered Bank (Futuremakers), Women Win and SSCN to distribute sanitary products to beneficiaries in Johannesburg and Pretoria. Almost 5 000 sanitary products were handed out to 28 primary schools.
In 2023, SSCN demonstrated its convening capacity in various ways – it collaborated with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and UNICEF to host a seven-day workshop on capacitating sport and development organisations to respond to environmental and climate change issues. It also hosted a transformation and development through sport conference themed ‘The Africa We Want’, which brought together more than 200 stakeholders from various sectors. The conference aimed to share knowledge and inspire innovative solutions to address pressing challenges in Africa using sporting initiatives.
SSCN Project Manager Zaine da Silva says the organisation shares knowledge and resources to help capacitate its members. He points to Cape Town-based NPO Waves for Change, which runs a mental health programme. The organisation shared its programme free of charge with other network members. There are currently over 130 member organisations in South Africa and other parts of the continent benefiting from this collaborative initiative.
“Collaboration is vital in our sector as it helps ensure we achieve a larger impact with the very little resources to address complex challenges effectively,” says Da Silva. “Collaboration is important to solve complex challenges and achieve the SDGs and Agenda 2063. To achieve this, we foster member-to-member linkages and provide inclusive forums and symposiums.”
Investing in sport will be essential to achieving Agenda 2063, a blueprint for growth and development on the continent, according to the African Union. Sport creates jobs, while sports tourism may help to boost local economies. One strategy CSI departments can consider, says Da Silva, is investing in networks with significant reach, which may deliver a more comprehensive impact.
Find out more about sports development:
- See Trialogue’s research results and analysis of the overview of the CSI spend on sports development in 2024.
Source: The original version of this article was published in the Trialogue Business in Society Handbook 2024 (27th edition).