Former Confederation of African Football (CAF) Chief Operating Officer, Abiola “Abi” Ijasanmi, has joined the Advisory Board of African Collaborations Group (ACG), strengthening the organisation’s expertise in sports governance, investment and women’s sport development across Africa.

Ijasanmi, who is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of African Sports Investor (ASI), brings extensive experience in football administration, governance reform, commercial development and investment readiness to ACG as the organisation expands its work on sport and entertainment district projects across the continent. ACG’s current leadership page confirms her membership of its Advisory Board.  

Her appointment is particularly significant as she was the first woman to occupy a C-suite position in CAF’s history when she served as the confederation’s Chief Operating Officer between 2022 and 2024.

During her time at CAF, Ijasanmi was involved in operational governance reforms under the leadership of CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe, with responsibilities covering governance, strategy, commercial development, compliance and operational delivery across the confederation’s 54 member associations.

Her experience extends beyond football administration. Through African Sports Investor, Ijasanmi has focused on helping sports organisations become more commercially sustainable and attractive to investment, with women’s football forming a major part of her work.

She was also recently appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Charlton Athletic Women’s Football Club, further strengthening her involvement in the development and governance of women’s football.

A barrister and member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, Ijasanmi holds a Master’s degree in International Commercial Law and has international experience spanning governance, compliance, corporate affairs and operations.

Before joining CAF, she held senior management and operational positions in the regulated airport and luxury travel sector, working across London, Paris, New York and Ghana with global brands including American Express and Visa.

She also previously worked as a sports agent, becoming one of only two female sports agents in Europe at the time and developing a specialist division focused on representing female basketball players.

According to ACG, the combination of Ijasanmi’s continental football governance experience, investment expertise and commitment to women’s inclusion makes her particularly suited to its long-term ambitions.

ACG Founder and Executive Chairman Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard said Ijasanmi brings a rare combination of experience from running football operations at continental level and understanding what makes sports organisations and infrastructure projects credible to institutional investors.

“Abi brings something that very few people in the world can bring to our Advisory Board: direct, hands-on experience of running African football at the continental level, combined with an investor’s understanding of what makes a sports organisation, or a sports infrastructure project, credible to institutional capital,” Pompigne-Mognard said.

He added that her work on governance reform at CAF, her focus on commercial sustainability and her commitment to women’s leadership were closely aligned with ACG’s objectives.

The ACG Advisory Board provides strategic guidance as the organisation develops large-scale sport and entertainment district projects, bringing together governments, development finance institutions, investors, sports bodies and infrastructure partners.

The organisation’s model is centred on developing integrated, mixed-use ecosystems rather than isolated stadium projects, with the objective of creating commercially sustainable destinations built around sport, entertainment and related economic activities.

ACG says its projects are designed to connect governments, PPP authorities, regulators, investors, developers, engineers, legal and transaction advisers, sports federations and leagues, media companies, event promoters, academic institutions and host communities.

The appointment of Ijasanmi therefore adds a strong governance and institutional dimension to the group’s efforts to develop bankable sports infrastructure projects across Africa.

It also places a prominent African woman sports executive at the heart of a growing conversation around how sport can become a stronger driver of investment, infrastructure development, job creation and economic activity on the continent.

Tthe new role for Ijasanmi complements her work through African Sports Investor and her continued involvement in advancing commercially sustainable and professionally governed sports organisations, particularly within women’s sport.