Musician Bobi Wine and lawyer Fred Muwema were the first public figures to contribute Shs 5m and 10m respectively last week towards Ecobank’s fundraising campaign to help Uganda Cranes prepare for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) due in Gabon next month, writes JOHN VIANNEY NSIMBE.
Following the launch of Ecobank’s Cranes Mujje Tulumbe Gabon Naloo N’akajja campaign at the end of November, it remained a mystery how exactly the bank felt they could pull off a fundraising of huge sums for the cause. A total of Shs 6 billion is what was being muted here as Cranes budget for Afcon.
However, Abel Nyange, the acting chief finance officer of Ecobank, explained the whole process, and its viability. This did not only show how simply the monies could be realized for The Cranes, but also provided an opportunity for the entire football industry in Uganda to adopt.
Nyange said that if six million Ugandans each contributed Shs 1,000, the Shs 6 billion would be realized in a bit. Put in perspective, what Nyange said was that the population in both Kampala and Wakiso, which comes to reportedly 4.5 million people, can springboard Cranes fundraising just for a paltry Shs 1,000 each.
Yet, with extended corporate support, where big sums are usually collected, as seen in the contributions of Muwema and Bobi Wine, just two individuals, the challenge of fundraising should not be a difficult one.
Fufa vice president Dennis Mbidde disclosed on Saturday that about Shs 200 million was projected on top of what Muwema and Bobi Wine had contributed. Ecobank has already contributed Shs 450 million.
Ecobank’s head of marketing and communication Primrose Kobusingye said the actual figures of how much has been collected so far will be disclosed this week.
Kobusingye stressed that these being public funds, a strict auditing process had been put in place to ensure transparency and proper accountability. However, critics argued that since government is going to fund The Cranes Afcon campaign, it defeats logic for anyone to carry out a fundraising.
But Kobusingye said the money they are fundraising can help The Cranes even beyond the Afcon campaign.
The Ecobank approach has also been hailed as a mechanism that can aid domestic football and sport generally. If local clubs could rally their fans to make small contributions, this could go a long way in ensuring sustainability and financial stability on top of corporate sponsorship.
jovi@observer.ug