Airtel Africa has today unveiled a Pan African soccer tourney - Airtel Rising Stars Africa Soccer Championship - that will provide an opportunity for budding stars to showcase and gauge their raw talent with the best in the continent. The Championship, slated for August 25, 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya, will be part of the Airtel Rising Stars program, a soccer talent initiative that has focused on identifying and nurturing soccer talent from the grassroots onto a national stage. A statement from Airtel Ghana said the tournament will comprise of a preliminary qualifying round, a knockout round and a final. “A draw will be conducted in Nairobi on the 15th of August to determine the group stage fixtures,” it said, adding that the format of the under 17 tourney will give both boys’ and girls’ teams the chance to assess their team work and individual skills against some of the best nations In Africa. The statement said the tournament, billed as a ‘football extravaganza’, will attract teams from some of Africa powerhouses in the under 17 age group such as Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, DRC pitted against upcoming nations such as Gabon, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Burkina Faso amongst others. The Airtel Africa championships will be officially opened by Kenya’s Prime Minister, The Rt.Hon. Raila Odinga and will be graced by Ambassadors representing the other 14 participating nations “It is expected that over 500 rising stars will travel to Nairobi courtesy of Airtel operations across the continent,” the statement said. It quoted Airtel Africa’s Chief Marketing Officer as saying: ‘’The Airtel Africa Championship is a natural product of the exciting and dazzling skills which we have seen showcased in the on-going Airtel Rising Stars initiative. The tournament provides the perfect melting pot of talent, cultures and passion exhibited during the Airtel Rising across Africa.” He added: “By designing a bigger stage for the teams and future stars, Airtel is sending a message to the participants, coaches, soccer enthusiasts on our long term support for sports and activities that empower and celebrate talent.” Airtel confirmed both the boys’ and girls’ grand finale would be aired live on DSVT Super Sports channel on 25th August from 0800hrs to 1200hrs CAT. It said the final matches will herald the kick-off of two specialised Airtel Rising Soccer Clinics, which will be run by soccer coaches from the Manchester United and Arsenal Soccer Schools. The clinics will be held in Nairobi and Accra respectively. “The Soccer clinics will provide technical expertise to aspiring stars chosen by top coaches in the 15 African countries. To spice up the clinics, Airtel has announced that the teams that scoop the girls and boys trophies will also attend the soccer clinics,” the statement said. It added that the final matches will be followed by a Pan-African Music extravaganza involving four top artists from the continent, including Congolese crooner Papa Wemba, Nigerian Artist 2Face Idibia, Tanzanian Rapper AY and Kenyan Gospel artist Daddy Owen.