• Nigeria has bid to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix, with plans for a new Abuja racetrack.

• The project includes a karting track, hotels, and a racing museum.

•  Nigeria joins South Africa, Rwanda, and Morocco in competing to host Africa’s first F1 race in decades.

Nigeria has entered the bid to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix in Africa. Last week, the West African nation unveiled a project, supported by former footballer Marvin Sordell, aimed at bringing motor racing's premier competition to the country.

Nigeria's strategy begins with an almost complete agreement with Opus Race Promotions to construct a new racetrack in the capital, Abuja. The complex will feature a karting track, hotels, and a motor racing museum, emphasizing the historical connections between Formula 1 and Africa.

Formula 1 last raced in Africa 32 years ago at the 1993 South African Grand Prix, held at the Kyalami circuit near Johannesburg. South Africa has leveraged this history in its bid to host a Grand Prix, as has Rwanda, whose ambitions are backed by racing star Lewis Hamilton.

Nigeria's entry into the competition follows Morocco's preparations to present its own significant project. The North African nation is developing an infrastructure plan valued at $1.2 billion. This complex, planned for northern Tangier, will be designed to international motor racing standards and led by Éric Boullier, former director of McLaren and the French Grand Prix.

The goal is to attract not only Formula 1, but also MotoGP, according to some sources. These expressions of interest in hosting motor racing competitions in Africa, announced after agreements between the Democratic Republic of Congo and AC Milan and FC Barcelona, highlight the growing recognition among African leaders of sport as a key tool for national promotion.

Servan Ahougnon