Published: September 3, 2025
MONROVIA — Liberia’s under-16 national basketball team has been left stranded in Kigali, Rwanda, after arriving Tuesday for the 2025 FIBA Afrobasket Youth Championship without government support for accommodation, meals or allowances.
The Liberia Basketball Association (LBA) had originally planned to send a 22-member delegation but cut the party to 17, leaving behind the deputy coach, a medic, a journalist and other staff. The team departed Monrovia on Monday, Sept. 1, for the tournament, which runs Sept. 2–14.
In a statement, the LBA said the government “did not make any financial contribution toward the trip,” forcing the association to rely on a $20,000 donation from Development Oriental Consultant, a private firm headed by Joseph Boakai Jr., son of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr.
The donation covered round-trip tickets but not accommodation, meals, local transport or per diem.
“We are incredibly grateful to DOC and the individuals who made this trip possible, but we are still appealing to stakeholders, sponsors and the government to support the team,” the LBA said.
Documents obtained by The Liberian Investigator show the LBA submitted a $60,000 budget to the Ministry of Youth and Sports, which forwarded the request to Finance Minister Augustine Ngafuan. No action was taken.
The association also sought help from House Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon, who formally wrote the finance minister highlighting the logistical challenges. That appeal, too, went unanswered. Even a late request for $25,000 failed.
As of press time, the LBA was lobbying FIBA and Rwandan authorities to provide lodging, meals and transport on credit until funds could be raised. The Liberian government still owes debts from hosting the U-16 Afrobasket qualifier earlier this year in Monrovia.
Deputy Sports Minister G. Andy Quamie told The Investigator via WhatsApp that the Ministry of Finance withheld funds due to procedural delays.
“This tournament came as a surprise and the government did not put money aside for it,” Quamie said Sunday, on the eve of the team’s departure. He added that the ministry was working with the LBA to secure support.
Liberia, drawn in Group C, opens against tournament favorite Mali on Sept. 4 at 11:30 a.m. local time. The team will then face Egypt on Sept. 7 and Morocco on Sept. 10, with both games scheduled for 9 a.m.
Liberia qualified for the tournament through a wild-card slot after finishing runners-up to Ivory Coast in the regional U-16 qualifier earlier this year.
The 2025 Afrobasket Youth Championship features 12 nations: host Rwanda, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Angola, Cameroon, Uganda, Morocco, Tunisia, Mali and Egypt.
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