Gerard A. Akindes
I teach sports management, offering innovation, leadership, governance, and development strategy training for organizations and sports associations.
With a wealth of experience and expertise in sports management, I have been dedicated to education, training, research, and innovation throughout my career.
My contributions have extended to mentoring the National Paralympic Committees of Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic, assisting them in devising effective strategies and governance structures. In 2022, I conducted a sports business workshop targeting young African entrepreneurs and leaders in Rwanda.
I hold a Master’s in Sports Administration and a PH.D. in Sports Media Studies from Ohio University. Over the years, I have taught sports management at prominent institutions such as Ohio University, Qatar University, and Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar. Currently, I am an adjunct faculty member at New York University in New York and Northwestern University in Qatar.
My research primarily centers around international sports management, the economics of sports, television and media, sports broadcasting, and athlete migration. I have co-edited two significant books, namely “Identity and Nation in African Football: Fans, Communities, and Clubs” and “Sports in Africa, Past and Present.” Additionally, I have published numerous articles in academic journals, contributed chapters to books, and presented at various scholarly conferences.
From 2014 to 2020, I served as a Research and Insight Senior Manager at the Josoor Institute in Qatar. The Josoor Institute, under the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, played a pivotal role in the preparations for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. In my capacity, I oversaw the publication of more than 50 case studies and four regional studies on sports and event management in Qatar and several Middle Eastern countries.
In 2004, I co-founded the SportsAfrica Network, an entity that organizes webinars, conferences, and support African sports research. This network brings together African sports scholars and practitioners, aiming to advance the field of African sports studies.
My journey from athlete and coach to a scholar of African sports has endowed me with rich experience. I captained Benin’s national basketball team as a semi-professional athlete and coached in Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, and Belgium. Notably, I coached the Belgian women’s team Union-Féminin Quaregnon and served as an assistant coach for the professional club Union Mons-Hainaut. Additionally, I held a role as an assistant manager at the Sportswear Company, Forcing SPRL, in Mons, Belgium.
As an Innovation360® Licensed Practitioner and an associate at Qatar Learning and Development LLC, I am equipped to harness the power of innovation. Innovation360® offers an esteemed Innovation Management Accreditation Program that has enabled me to explore the critical value of innovation and its integration into African sports management and governance.
Moreover, I am a trained life coach, an aspect that has greatly enhanced my ability to work effectively with individuals. The skills I have acquired in life coaching contribute significantly to my role in supporting professionals in their journey towards becoming better leaders, managers, employees, and well-rounded individuals.