The National Sports Commission (NSC) has unveiled Project RISE, a proposed ₦1 trillion National Sports Infrastructure Bond Programme designed to rehabilitate, modernise and expand critical sporting facilities across Nigeria.

Project RISE, which stands for Reimagining Infrastructure for Sporting Excellence, was presented at an inaugural All-Parties Meeting held on Wednesday, October 14, at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.

The meeting brought together leading issuing houses, investment banking institutions, legal advisers, trustees and other capital market professionals to discuss the proposed financing framework for the initiative.

The programme forms part of the Federal Government’s efforts to address Nigeria’s longstanding sports infrastructure deficit through alternative financing mechanisms, following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval earlier in the year for the Commission to explore capital market funding.

Speaking at the meeting, NSC Director-General, Hon. Bukola Olopade, described Project RISE as a major component of the Renewed Hope Initiative for Nigeria’s Sports Economy (RHINSE), which aims to position sports as a driver of economic growth, employment, youth development and international competitiveness.

Olopade stressed that Nigeria’s sporting potential must be matched by the facilities needed to nurture talent and sustain high performance.

He noted that many promising athletes across the country still lack access to modern training facilities, adding that Project RISE would help establish a stronger infrastructure base for talent identification, athlete development and sporting excellence.

The meeting was facilitated by the Commission’s financial advisers, Plethoria Finance Group and BAS Capital Limited, led by their respective Group Managing Directors and Chief Executive Officers, Mr. Taiwo Oguntimehin and Mr. Abdullateef Hussaini.

Representatives of several financial institutions and professional services firms attended the meeting. They included Chapel Hill Denham, PAC Capital, AIICO Capital, United Capital Group, AVA Capital, Centrum Finance, BAS Capital Limited, Plethoria Trustees Limited, Templars Law Firm, The New Practice, M.J Partnership Solicitors, DOC Advisory Limited, BBC Professionals and STL Trustees Limited.

Among the priority projects identified by the Commission are the rehabilitation and modernisation of the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, and a comprehensive overhaul of the MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.

Other proposed interventions include the development of sports centres across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, improved facilities in tertiary institutions, high-performance training centres and a National Aquatics Development Centre.

The programme also targets the development of sports medicine and rehabilitation facilities, alongside a National Sports Digital Transformation Programme.

Through Project RISE, the NSC is seeking to establish a sustainable financing framework for critical sports infrastructure, with the broader objective of improving athlete development, strengthening Nigeria’s sporting ecosystem and enhancing the country’s competitiveness on the international stage.