Sport for development: IOC Young Leader Jabu Mtwa offers a vision for Africa's youth through sport

When Mtwa, a lifelong sports fan, co-founded a community football club in Johannesburg, South Africa, aged just 20, he not only witnessed how important sport was to so many young people, but also came face-to-face with the struggles they confronted in finding a job.

“A lot of the players would come to training every day, because they had nothing else to do, and were struggling with finances,” says Mtwa. “I took it upon myself to do more research and see how the African sports industry can act as a vehicle for job creation and youth employment.”

It led Mtwa to not only build a career as a sports business podcast host and expert in sport for development, but also launch his IOC Young Leaders project, the Ithuba Lethu Sports Hub, a sports-based non-profit organisation, by leveraging the immense potential of the continent's sports sector.

Through a series of educational programmes, mentorship initiatives and career development opportunities for school-age children and young adults, the Hub aims to increase awareness of the opportunities the sports industry provides and offer career development opportunities.

The Hub was officially launched in March 2025, and more than 60 young people attended two workshops, one on careers in sport and the other on personal branding.

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