What is the Zain Africa Challenge International Championship Festival?

The Zain Africa Challenge International Championship Festival is a 7-day live event. During the festival, the final tournament of the year is conducted, culminating in the International Championship. The games are its centrepiece, but it also features welcoming activities, social and cultural events, guest speakers, celebrity performances and a gala championship awards banquet.

Which teams qualify to compete?

A total of 32 teams from Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia will compete to appear in the 16-team televised knockout tournament. University teams qualify by finishing at the top of the field in their National Qualifying Tournament. The distribution of teams by country is:

How is the competition run?

The tournament is a knockout tournament -- win you stay in, lose a game and you are eliminated. Thirty-one games will be recorded for broadcast throughout the participating countries.

Who attends?

Each Zain Africa Challenge team is composed of three players plus a fourth alternate who represent their university in the competition and is accompanied by a faculty or staff coach.

In addition to the teams, attendees include university officials, government and civic leaders and volunteers representing Zain and the community at large who assist in the competition and other events.

What are the prizes?

Teams compete for institutional grants for their universities and educational grants for themselves. The further the team progresses in the tournament, the larger the Zain grants they receive.

When and where is the festival?

This season, it will be held 23 January - 2 February, 2010 in Kampala, Uganda.

How can I become a volunteer?

Prior participation in the programme and graduation from an eligible university is required. If you meet those qualifications, complete the Volunteer Application.