The Football Foundation for Africa (FFA) (https://FootballFoundation.Africa) is delighted to announce Sports20 as the Green Legacy Partner for the Africa Football Business Summit 2024. SPORTS20 has developed a pioneering framework anchored on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As an international cooperation platform, SPORTS20 has a network that unites athletes, clubs, associations and events worldwide to drive sustainable change in the world of sport and beyond.
As a founding member of the Sports20 network, FFA is excited about this collaboration. Sports20 will play a pivotal role in supporting FFA in delivering a sustainable summit and developing a legacy programme for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2027, which will be presented at the Summit. This legacy programme aims to integrate sustainability into the core of African football, ensuring long-term positive impacts on communities and the environment.
Stefan Wagner of Sports for Future and Tanja Ferkau of IMPCT gGmbH, founders of the Sports20 network, will attend the Summit. Their participation underscores the shared commitment to promoting sustainable practices within the football industry.
“We are thrilled to partner with Sports20 as our Green Legacy Partner,” said Brian Wesaala, CEO of The Football Foundation for Africa. “This collaboration aligns with our vision of embedding sustainability into the heart of African football. With Sports20’s expertise and support, we are confident that the Africa Football Business Summit 2024 will set new benchmarks for sustainable events. We are also keen to play a significant role in delivering the legacy of AFCON 2027 with support from like-minded organisations like Sports20.”
Stefan Wagner, co-founder of Sports20, expressed his enthusiasm: “Our collaboration with FFA represents a significant opportunity to foster sustainable transformation in African football. Building on our participation (representing TSG Hoffenheim and Sports for Future) at last year’s event, the Summit provides an excellent platform to highlight our joint commitment to sustainability and develop impactful legacy programmes for future tournaments like AFCON 2027.”
Tanja Ferkau, co-founder of Sports20, added: “We are excited to work with FFA and bring together the sports community in Africa and beyond to focus on sustainability. We aim to create lasting positive impacts and look forward to presenting our legacy programme at the Summit.”
The Africa Football Business Summit 2024 will take place in Nairobi. It will gather key stakeholders from the football industry, including clubs, associations, athletes, and business leaders, to discuss and promote best practices in sports business and sustainability.
![Canon (www.Canon-CNA.com) today announces the Colorado XL-series, a new platform of 3.4m printers that extends the proven advantages of Canon's UVgel technology to the 3.2m graphics market. Available in hybrid and roll-to-roll configurations, the modular, field upgradable platform powered by UVgel technology delivers great versatility and exceptional productivity for both flexible and rigid media applications from signage and décor to point of sale and packaging. The Colorado XL-series comprises two easy-to-operate models: the Colorado XL7 roll-to-roll printer and Colorado XL7 hybrid printer. The new series brings the benefits of UVgel to a new market segment with exceptional application versatility across a comprehensive range of media – from banner, paper, vinyl and films to soft signage, heat-sensitive materials, foam board, fluted polypropylene, acrylic, aluminium composite boards and cardboard – providing the flexibility to tackle diverse customer requirements. With print speeds of 70m² per hour in quality mode, 106m² per hour in production mode and up to 211m² per hour in express mode, the system delivers the productivity needed for demanding production environments while accommodating substrates up to 52mm/2 inches thick for rigid applications. The new platform includes multiple technology innovations, such as the UVgel 860 ink set, which has been optimised to cover a wide variety of both rigid and flexible applications. It also provides the proven benefits of UVgel: odourless and instant-dry prints, high mechanical and chemical robustness, dimensional stability due to low-temperature curing, excellent colour consistency, TPO [1] - and VCL [2] -free, and matte and gloss finish without the need of a separate varnish. The Colorado XL-series also incorporates new UVgel 850 PrintHeads. Each printhead has 4,544 nozzles and features automated built-in nozzle performance monitoring and compensation. A single printhead supports two colours simultaneously, so that only two printheads are required to print CMYK, plus an optional third if white is configured. Additionally, the Colorado XL-series has an agile and precise printhead carriage that features UVgel DynamicMotion Control to ensure exceptional print quality even with challenging media. Taking the UV LED curing process to the next level, the Colorado XL-series introduces UVgel FullBeam Curing. This technology uses a unique 3.4-metre-wide LED curing array that, combined with an ingenious mirror system, delivers consistent UV light dosing across the entire print width, guaranteeing exceptional print uniformity over large surfaces and enabling a wider colour gamut. Media handling is optimised by the new UVgel TRIdrive vacuum belt system, which features three interactive rollers and multiple powerful vacuum zones that reduce wrinkling and skewing by automatically detecting and correcting the media positioning. This results in highly repeatable media transport through the printer, ensuring accurate positioning both longitudinally and laterally and enabling razor-sharp applications. Optional features for the Colorado XL-series, which are already available on the highly successful and modular Colorado M-series, include: UVgel White for hassle-free white printing, FLXfinish+ for creative effects using matte or gloss or mixed matte and gloss on the same print without additional varnish, and FLXture for textured finishes that mimic materials like leather, wood or fabric. Mathew Faulkner, Director, Marketing & Innovation, Wide Format Printing Group, Canon EMEA, comments: "For the past decade, Canon has been at the forefront of the inkjet evolution in large format, with market-leading technologies including the Colorado roll-to-roll printer series powered by UVgel technology and the Arizona flatbed printers. Large format print providers are looking for systems that deliver high productivity, versatile applications and reliable quality while addressing the challenge of finding skilled operators – which is why Canon is launching our new, breakthrough Colorado XL-series, an addition to our portfolio that will set a new standard in productivity and versatility. “This innovative solution brings the proven advantages of our unique UVgel technology to the 3.2m market for the first time, combining it with extensive automation and a modular design that will enable customers to extend their application possibilities into markets such as packaging and décor. Print service providers already producing high-value signage and graphics can now leverage UVgel's distinctive finishes, including mixed gloss and matte effects and textured printing, at scale to stand out in these new markets. And with its hybrid capabilities, users can print both roll-to-roll and rigid applications on the same device, using the same ink, the same colour profiles and the same unique features and finishes. For brands, for example, this translates to seamless campaigns that span the full spectrum of applications, ensuring perfect consistency across campaign assets whether they're roll-fed graphics, rigid signage, packaging, or décor elements. This is particularly valuable when these different applications appear side by side in-store, where maintaining that consistent quality and finish elevates the entire brand experience that today's brands demand." The Colorado XL-series will be available from the beginning of 2026 via Canon’s direct sales organisations as well as from accredited partners. For more information about the Colorado XL-series, please visit: https://apo-opa.co/3WltKtM](https://businessinsights.africa/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/canon_prograf-696x385.png "Canon expands large format graphics production portfolio with new 3.4m Colorado XL-series")
