Inside The Giants Of Africa Festival With Coach Joe Touomou

In Kigali, Rwanda, the air is charged with excitement. Beats bounce off basketball courts, and hope glimmers in the eyes of young athletes from 20 different African nations. It’s the second edition of the week-long Giants of Africa Festival, and amid the vibrant energy, one figure moves with quiet purpose: Coach Joe Touomou. His name might not dominate headlines, but his legacy is inscribed in the journeys of countless players, in the transformation of grassroots basketball, and in the very fabric of Giants of Africa.

For Coach Joe who is the Giants of Africa’s coach for West Africa, this isn’t just another event. It’s a mission.

“You can be tired, but when you see all these kids dancing together from different countries, enjoying each other’s music, it gives you energy,” he shared with Forbes.com ahead of the festival, smiling with pride and humility.

A Brotherhood Built on Purpose: The Early Days

For someone who has dedicated his life to unlocking the potential of African youth through basketball, his journey with Giants of Africa is deeply personal. When asked what initially drew him to the initiative, he highlights a shared brotherhood that predates the movement’s rise to prominence across the continent.

“When Masai and Godwin started this program, we were just young college graduates,” he recalls. At that time, Godwin Owinje, co-founder of Giants of Africa and a scout for the Brooklyn Nets, was his teammate at Georgetown University. Meanwhile, Masai Ujiri, former vice chairman and president of the Toronto Raptors, was already a familiar face from their days on the junior national team. This familiarity established a foundation for a lifelong bond rooted in a shared purpose.

During that time, Coach Joe was already running a basketball program in Cameroon. However, what Ujiri and Owinje were doing in Nigeria, then known as the “Top 50 Camps,” caught his attention. “They were bringing all these talented players from all over Nigeria,” he recalls. “I was eager to give back, share my knowledge, and offer opportunities I didn’t have. I was excited to join them and travel to Nigeria in the beginning.”

Those early camps were modest, with duffel bags filled with donated sneakers, t-shirts, and uniforms. Today, Giants of Africa is a fully-fledged organisation with nearly 100 people working behind the scenes.

“We were sitting in a room the other day, and I said, ‘Wow, I cannot believe we’ve come this far.’”

That growth reflects more than just scale; it demonstrates a lasting impact. Despite his family life in the U.S. and responsibilities at the NBA Academy in Senegal, Coach Joe consistently found time to give back to the continent. “I was still able to take time from my break to spend four weeks with Giants of Africa, touring with Masai and Godwin and running camps.”

When asked why he makes this effort, his answer is simple: “I think I just got addicted to the Giants of Africa spirit.”

This spirit is defined by empowerment, unity, and a desire to give back.

From Scarcity to Opportunity

Coach Joe’s passion is rooted in his own story, one defined by resilience and limited resources. Growing up in Cameroon, basketball looked very different for him.

“We didn’t have opportunities like this. No cable TV, no internet, no shoes, no courts,” he recalls. He and Ujiri were part of a generation inspired by pioneers such as Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo.

“We were probably the third generation of Africans to attend college in the U.S., and even then, we were just figuring it out.” This gap between ambition and access is what Giants of Africa seeks to bridge.

“Masai didn’t just become an NBA team president; he became someone African youth could see and believe in. We didn’t have that growing up.”

Today, over 6,000 young people across the continent have participated in Giants of Africa camps. “Many of these kids have gone on to college. Some have become doctors, architects, and financial advisors. Basketball is just the vehicle for their success.”

Watching this transformation firsthand is what has kept Coach Joe motivated. “You come to the festival and see kids in full uniforms, dancing, smiling, and learning. For those of us who grew up without anything close to this, it’s emotional. It inspires you to keep doing more.”

Giants Of Africa: A Festival of Unity and Hope

For many athletes, the Giants of Africa Festival isn’t just a camp, it’s a gateway. And for Coach Joe, who has attended tournaments across Africa, this one stands apart.

“I’ve been everywhere for basketball, from AfroBasket to local games. But this festival is something else. It’s unique.”

That uniqueness is felt in Kigali. In its inaugural edition, the Rwandan capital embraced the festival with open arms. Streets were lined with banners, local vendors flourished, and volunteers gained valuable experience. The ripple effect was immediate, economically, socially, and emotionally. However, it’s the human moments that left the biggest impression.

“Seeing a kid from Somalia hug one from South Africa, or a Cameroonian coach exchanging ideas with someone from Tanzania, that’s unity. That’s the dream. It’s like the Olympics for Africa’s youth.”

Many participants were stepping out of their home countries and comfort zones for the very first time.

“Eighty per cent of those kids had never flown before,” Joe explained.

For many, stepping off that plane was their first glimpse into a different kind of reality for themselves as Africans.

“And then to land in Kigali, such a clean, orderly city, opens their eyes. They see a different version of what Africa can be.”

One standout moment? Their participation in Umuganda, Rwanda’s monthly community service day.

“All of them still talk about it,” he added. “They couldn’t believe how the whole community comes together to clean their neighbourhoods. It showed them another way of life, of collective responsibility and pride.”

This year, as Giants of Africa returns to Kigali with 20 countries and four coaches per team, the vision is expanding.

“This one will be even bigger, and the impact, even greater,” Joe says.

It’s Never Too Early, Never Too Late

One of the most powerful messages echoed throughout the Giants of Africa festival is that greatness has no fixed timeline. Whether you start at 14 or 17, what matters most is belief, discipline, and opportunity. Coach Joe speaks to this with conviction, drawing on two deeply personal success stories that represent opposite ends of the developmental spectrum: Joel Embiid and Ulrich Chomche.

“What Embiid has brought to the game, for a kid who started playing basketball at 17, it’s just incredible,” he says of the 2023 NBA MVP.

But raw talent alone wasn’t enough. Coach Joe remembers speaking to Embiid’s parents in Cameroon, encouraging them to see beyond the limits of their environment.

“We had to help him dream beyond his circumstances. We had to give him the mentality of dominance, so that by the time he got to the U.S., he was prepared to be the player I always knew he could become.”

That dream, once distant, became reality. Embiid didn’t just make it; he conquered the highest stage. On the other hand, there’s Ulrich Chomche, whose journey began at just 14 when Coach Joe recruited him into the NBA Academy Africa.

“With Chomche, it was different. I saw him early. I knew his potential, but more than that, I understood his why—why he wanted to be successful, why he trained every morning at 6 a.m. without complaint.”

That early commitment was matched by a deep mutual trust between coach, player, and program.

“He trusted me, and he trusted the Academy. And that made all the difference. He wanted to make his community, his country, and his continent proud.”

Today, Ulrich is part of the Toronto Raptors, a full-circle moment underscored by the fact that it was Masai Ujiri who gave him that shot.

Together, the stories of Joel and Ulrich reveal the full arc of what’s possible. The message is clear: it’s never too early, and it’s never too late to dream big and make it happen.

Belief, Competition, and a Blueprint for the Future

Coach Joe speaks about African basketball with quiet conviction. He believes strongly in its potential for growth, a belief rooted in decades of effort. He highlights initiatives like the NBA Academy, the SEED Project, Basketball Without Borders, and especially Giants of Africa as crucial to this growth.

“Masai Ujiri gave Africans a chance to succeed in the league because he believed in African talent,” Coach Joe reflects. This belief is inspiring, but he emphasises that belief alone isn’t enough.

“We need quality coaching. We need our kids to compete. If they receive proper coaching and are exposed to consistent competition, we’re going to dominate the sport.”

That’s where the festival becomes transformative. It’s not just about drills or speeches; it’s about live learning through play.

“For three or four days, the court transforms into a classroom. That’s how you develop basketball instincts.”

Coaching With Purpose

For Coach Joe Touomou, coaching has always been about making an impact rather than seeking accolades. As an African coach who once walked the halls of Georgetown University and worked under elite mentors like Leonard Hamilton and Quin Snyder, returning to the continent was not just a career move; it was a calling.

“Basketball gave me everything,” he says. That sense of gratitude drives every camp, every session, and every mentoring moment he engages in.

“I had to come back and help.” Through Giants of Africa, he has done precisely that, impacting more than 20 countries and helping to shape not only players but also coaching standards and community mindsets.

He speaks with quiet pride about those who have passed through his programs and are now giving back themselves.

“I just play my part,” he says. “I just coach. I help coaches, and I help players grow.”

His story, like that of Giants of Africa, is a reminder that sport can be a bridge: between countries, cultures, and generations. It can educate, empower, and transform. And that’s exactly what is taking place across Rwanda: a powerful experience that each camper will carry with them across Africa and for decades to come.

Long after the courts are cleared in Kigali, the festival’s influence will endure, in the lives he’s shaped, the values he’s instilled, and the belief he’s sparked in a new generation ready to take the game, and the continent, forward.