Cameroon lands FCFA75.9m betPawa investment as Locker Room Bonus enters Francophone Africa
Players in the Guinness Super League will receive direct mobile-money rewards as Cameroon becomes the first French-speaking market to adopt the programme.
Cameroon.- Cameroon has become the first Francophone African country to adopt betPawa’s Locker Room Bonus programme, with the operator committing FCFA75.9m (US$132,000) to the Guinness Super League.
Players on eligible winning teams will receive FCFA25,000 (US$44) paid directly into their mobile money accounts. The programme was launched on June 5 in partnership with the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT). Cameroon joins Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi in the initiative.
FECAFOOT president Samuel Eto’o and betPawa Cameroon director general Thomas Nsongka attended the signing ceremony in Yaoundé. Borah Omary Ndanyungu signed for betPawa, while Céline Eko Mendomo represented the Women’s Football League.
Ndanyungu said the programme will also apply retroactively to fixtures already played this season. “We believe that real sports development starts with players. This is not just a bonus, it is recognition, motivation, tangible support for the league,” he said.
He added: “I know we are launching today, but this is going to involve all the games that have been played before and the ones that are coming. This is not a short-term initiative, it’s a long-term initiative whereby we are starting now and we are hoping to continue supporting the women’s leagues for even the years that are coming ahead.”
Meanwhile, Eto’o welcomed the investment, saying it reflected a broader responsibility to support and protect players. “Thank you very much. We have the duty to protect our young people, our players, the possibility to play football. And what you have agreed to do through your company goes beyond football,” he said.
