Expanding Worlds Beyond the Court

New York Square, LLC has announced a partnership with the Ghana Basketball Federation (GBBA) to develop and promote basketball in Ghana by providing the infrastructure and technical support necessary to create a fully integrated national program.

Dan Isaacs, New York Square’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer first began traveling to Ghana in 2013.

Four years later in 2017, he brought Famous Famiglia – New York’s Favorite pizza including the water, to Ghana’s capital, Accra, selling American Exceptionalism “One Slice at a Time” as Africa’s only authentic New York City pizza. Dan lived in Accra for two years, during which time he fell in love with the Ghanaian people and culture, later making a cameo in the music video for African Superstar Davido’s 2018 hit “Meji Meji.” He hasn’t looked back since.

Dan now finds himself back in Ghana six years later, but this time with a different mission, as Founder and Chief Executive Officer of New York Square, LLC, a private enterprise created to develop partnerships in the fields of sports and entertainment as a means of advancing socio-economic growth in Africa with a focus on gender equality, education, healthcare, and infrastructure development. To accomplish this mission, he has assembled an executive team consisting of highly accomplished individuals with decades of sports, entertainment, and business experience both in Africa and the United States.

“To execute our vision is a dream come true and in the making for almost a decade,” said Isaacs. “It is our mission to use sports to provide the structure, support, guidance, and mentorship necessary for Africa’s youth to reach their full potential and achieve their dreams.”

Later this spring, the project will begin with the construction of 10 courts in selected regions, beginning with the first in the Northern regional capital of Tamale. These courts shall be manufactured by Connor Sport Court International, the market leader in portable and permanent hardwood sports, athletic, and dance flooring systems. In addition to each of these regional community courts, boreholes will be drilled to provide a fresh water supply for the adjacent communities.

 “A basketball in a kid’s hands might not necessarily translate into success in the game, but it might alter the trajectory of this kid’s life onto paths hitherto unknown,” stated Alex Kukula, Vice President of Finance and Administration for the Ghana Basketball Association and Director of Basketball Operations for New York Square. “Basketball made me and now my dream is to use basketball to give hope to underserved youth with every bounce of the ball.” “Together we are focused on developing solutions that benefit Ghana by targeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals 3, 4, 5, 8, and 10,” added Ato Van-Ess, GBBA President.

New York Square’s participation in the development of Ghana basketball will soon expand to include tennis, baseball, and golf, with the vision of providing the same opportunities for millions of young girls and boys across Africa as New York Square expands its presence on the continent.

With a population of over 32 million and a median age of 25.1 (nearly 20% of Ghanaians are fifteen years of age or younger), the Republic of Ghana, known as the Black Star of Africa, is the Continent’s commercial gateway and the best place for doing business in West Africa. This moniker is demonstrated by the African Union’s decision to place the headquarters of its African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat in its capital, Accra, which opened on August 17, 2020.

Ghana has enjoyed increasingly stable and deepening democratic governance, which has strengthened the effectiveness of key national institutions, enhanced investor confidence, and anchored the economy to provide a growth environment. The American Chamber of Commerce – Ghana is a veritable who’s who of America’s corporate elite including Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Google, Uber, Dow Chemical, and IBM amongst many others, who were attracted by its conducive business environment, committed and progressive government-private sector participation, transparent regulations, and a dynamic private sector ready for partnerships.

Ghana is geographically closer than any other country to the center of the planet with an average of 8 hours of flying time to Europe and the Americas. It is religiously tolerant, considered West Africa’s educational center, and pro-western in orientation with a special affinity for New York City, home to Ghana’s largest ex pat population.

Source Ghana Basketball