For decades, African athletes—especially at national and grassroots levels—have faced frustrating realities stemming from financial instability and non professionalisation of sports. Many players wait weeks, sometimes months, to receive their payments, making it harder for them to focus on their craft. But that’s starting to change, thanks to technology-driven solutions like betPawa’s Locker Room Bonus (LRB), which ensures players get paid instantly after a match.
This was a major talking point when Nii Armah Ashong-Katai, betPawa’s Southern Africa Regional Manager for CSR & Sports Development, and Raquel Puig, Head of CSR & Sports Development, appeared on Lagos Talks FM’s Sports Zone. Speaking with Charles Anazodo and Femi Farawe, they broke down how the Locker Room Bonus is revolutionising player welfare across Africa—and why timely financial rewards are a game-changer for sports development.
The Locker Room Bonus is a well-oiled system powered by technology. Here’s how it works:
Pre-Match Setup:
- Teams provide a list of players, including full names, jersey numbers and mobile money-registered phone numbers.
- Players confirm their identities via betPawa’s pawaPass security platform.
- Once verified, players are eligible to receive bonuses.
On Match Day:
- Matchday squad lists are sent by local football authorities or clubs.
- betPawa’s team prepares a potential payout list based on the squad.
- Bonuses are paid out immediately to winning players, with draws excluded from payouts.
Terms and Conditions:
To ensure the initiative runs smoothly, betPawa has established clear guidelines:
- Recognition of Teams: The initiative accounts for varying team sizes and player rosters based on specific leagues and sports.
- Bonus Coverage: The bonus extends to matchday squad players and three technical staff (head coach, assistant coach and goalkeepers coach in football).
- Eligibility Requirements: Player information, including mobile money details, must be submitted 10 days before the first payout.
- Match Results: Official match results, signed by the head referee, must be promptly communicated.
At its core, the Locker Room Bonus is about celebrating players the moment they win. The initiative ensures that every player who makes the match day squad receives a cash bonus immediately after the final whistle, before they even leave the stadium. No bureaucracy, no delays—just instant mobile money transfers straight to the athletes.
According to Nii Armah Ashong-Katai, this isn’t just a financial perk; it’s a motivational tool. “The Locker Room Bonus ensures that players are recognised and rewarded instantly. It’s a simple but powerful way to encourage players and create a winning culture,” he said during the interview.
The initiative is already active in Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania, with plans to expand to more African countries, including Nigeria. For the latter, it also a foray into playing a role in Nigeria’s overall mobile money adoption.
One of the biggest hurdles in African sports has always been the inconsistent and delayed payment structures. Many federations and clubs rely on manual processes and outdated systems that slow down financial rewards. Locker Room Bonus cuts through that, using technology and mobile money platforms to process payments automatically.
As Raquel Puig pointed out, security and transparency are key. “We use betPawa’s PawaPass system to verify every player’s identity before payments are made. This ensures that only those who made the squad receive their bonus, reducing errors and eliminating the risk of fraud,” she explained.
The goal, as Nii and Raquel emphasised, is to expand to more countries and sports, working alongside federations to improve player welfare. The technology exists—the challenge is now about adoption and implementation at scale.
This is betPawa’s way of professionalising sports in Africa. By leveraging cutting-edge financial technology, betPawa is ensuring fast and easy payments, reinforcing its reputation as a leader in sports innovation. In fact, betPawa ranks first in the world for Acquisition Power Score in regulated markets for 2024, according to Blask.
Locker Room Bonus isn’t just an idea—it’s already making a tangible impact. The Ugandan men’s and women’s basketball teams, the Gazelles and Silverbacks respectively, both sponsored by betPawa, recently qualified for the Afrobasket tournament set to take place in July and August 2025. Thanks to the Locker Room Bonus, players received their bonuses immediately after their wins, to celebrate their achievements.
With the success of LRB in multiple African countries, the big question is: how far can this go?
Locker Room Bonus is proving that when players are rewarded promptly, performance, motivation, and financial security all improve. It’s a simple but revolutionary concept, powered by technology, that could reshape how African athletes experience success.
About betPawa
betPawa is a mobile iGaming brand. It operates across 17 countries in Africa, having opened six new markets in the last 12 months. The brand is on a mission to ‘make betting friendly’ by providing 24-hour customer support, a user-friendly platform, the lowest minimum stakes, and guaranteed & instant payments.
About betpawa Tech Group
pawaTech Group, co-founded by Danish entrepreneur and investor Kresten Buch in 2015, is an iGaming solutions provider, delivering sportsbook, casino, lottery, and player management software as a service. In addition to this, pawaTech provides operational support and licenses to betPawa via its African HQ in Kigali, Rwanda. betPawa is Africa’s largest betting brand, available in 17 African countries.
