Nigeria had a chance to defeat Ghana on Friday, December 23, 2022 when a select team from the nation played a Ghanaian select team in a ceremonial basketball game after Nigeria lost to Ghana in the World Cup play-off in March thanks to a Thomas Partey goal.
Unfortunately for Nigeria, their squad was unable to achieve any success as they fell short of Ghana by a single point.
At the end of the highly-patronized match played at the Bukom Boxing Arena, the Ghanaian team won 33-32 against Nigeria.
Prior to the fiercely contested game, the basketball team for the Ghana Immigration Service had overpowered a select team from France with a 33-30 victory.
The GIS team came from behind to snatch victory from the French who made a blistering start to the match.
The event which was christened African Basketball Festival was organized by RITE Sports under the auspices of the Beyond the Return secretariat.
The festival was a blend of entertainment, fashion, and sport as musician Edem and dancer, Kobby Rana entertained the crowd with some good music.
Bloom by Edziban, Beatiful Beneath and Elikem Kumordzie provided fashion lovers with some excitement on the night.
Speaking to the press after the event, Yaw Sakyi Afari, the Chief Executive Officer of RITE Sports commended the partners, stakeholders and patrons for their role in helping his outfit deliver a great show.
He indicated his satisfaction with the event saying ‘ We are happy with the performance of the teams, officials and all partners. Looking at the excitement generated from the second edition, we are confident next year which has more countries participating will be more fun and rewarding for both teams and patrons with a number of days of extended ‘.
“We thank our sponsors, fashion houses, musicians, Ghana Basketball Association, Beyond The Return office, Team Coordinators and all who played a role in ensuring the success of the show”.
The festival also enjoyed support from GLICO, Ebony Condoms, Sprite , Caveman Watches and the French Embassy.