Story by Nsor Paul Mensah
Betpawa, the leading sports betting platform in Africa, has announced a major expansion of its sponsorship of Ghanaian football.
At a press conference today Tuesday 5th November 2024 the Managing Director for Betpawa in Africa and chief Commercial Officer, Ntoudi Mouyelo Katoula said in a meeting with the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Betpawa revealed plans to not only continue its sponsorship of the men's Premier League, but also extend support to the women's FA Cup.
The MD of Betpawa Africa The centerpiece of Betpawa's investment is the "Local Room Bonus" - a unique initiative that provides instant mobile money payments to players immediately after matches.
According to Betpawa's Managing Director, the Local Room Bonus has three key objectives:
1. To incentivize players to compete and win, with the bonus serving as a direct reward.
2. To demonstrate that players in Africa can be paid on time, with the mobile money transfers happening as soon as players leave the pitch.
3. To help professionalize Ghana's football ecosystem, by working closely with the GFA on conditions for the bonus payouts.
He revealed that In the 2022/2023 season, Betpawa paid out nearly 600,000 Ghanaian cedis in Local Room Bonuses, impacting close to 4,000 players. For the upcoming 2023/2024 season, the company has doubled the bonus pool to 1.3 million cedis.
Notably, the Local Room Bonus will now extend to the women's FA Cup, starting from the round of 16 stage through the final. This represents a significant investment in the growth and recognition of women's football in Ghana.
Ntoudi Mouyelo Katoula emphasized the importance of the "third power" - the media and public voice - in driving the success of the Local Room Bonus initiative across West and Central Africa. They called on journalists and fans to help amplify the story and encourage the adoption of similar player-centric programs in other countries.
With this expanded sponsorship and innovative bonus scheme, Betpawa aims to not only support the development of Ghanaian football, but also set a new standard for how corporate partners can directly invest in and empower the players themselves.