Former FIFA Chief Member Associations Officer Kenny Jean-Marie has joined the Advisory Board of African Collaborations Group (ACG), a strategic project origination platform focused on developing sport and entertainment district ecosystems across Africa.

ACG, which describes itself as a platform for originating bankable sport and entertainment district projects, said Mr Jean-Marie’s appointment will strengthen its expertise in sport governance, institutional development and the structuring of large-scale sport infrastructure projects across the continent.

Mr Jean-Marie served as FIFA’s Chief Member Associations Officer from 2020 to 2024, overseeing the governing body’s relationships with its 211 member associations and supporting programmes focused on football development, governance and institutional capacity.

Experience at FIFA and FFF

During his tenure at FIFA, Mr Jean-Marie oversaw FIFA Forward, the organisation’s flagship football development programme, which provides tailored support to the 211 member associations and six continental confederations.

He led the launch of the programme’s third cycle covering 2023 to 2026, representing a total investment of $2.25 billion in football development globally.

His responsibilities included support for infrastructure, coaching, national teams, competitions, grassroots football and women’s football.

He also played a role in the establishment of FIFA’s Paris office, which strengthened the organisation’s engagement with its member associations.

Before joining FIFA, Mr Jean-Marie served at the Fédération Française de Football (FFF) from 2017 to 2020, first as Chief of Staff to the President and later as Director of Institutional and International Relations.

In those roles, he was involved in the French football federation’s engagement with public authorities, international governing bodies and its network of affiliated organisations.

Public administration and institutional reform

Mr Jean-Marie also brings extensive experience from French public administration, having spent nearly two decades in senior positions across French sovereign ministries.

He served in territorial and central administration roles at the Ministry of the Interior between 2009 and 2012 and previously served as a naval officer at the Ministry of Defence from 1998 to 2005.

A graduate of France’s École Nationale d’Administration (ENA), he combines experience in public administration with expertise in institutional governance and international relations.

A native of Guadeloupe, Mr Jean-Marie was appointed by the Fédération Française de Football in March 2026 as Préfigurateur of the future Ligue Guadeloupéenne de Football.

His mandate is to rebuild the territory’s football federation following the judicial liquidation of the previous structure.

His responsibilities include developing a sustainable financial framework, establishing a transparent statutory and regulatory system, and rebuilding trust among clubs, federations, public authorities and international governing bodies, including FIFA and CONCACAF.

Strategic role at ACG

ACG said his current work in institutional reconstruction, combined with his experience in global football administration and public-sector governance, would be directly relevant to the organisation’s plans for sport and entertainment districts across Africa.

The platform is seeking to develop mixed-use ecosystems that combine sports infrastructure with commercial, entertainment and other revenue-generating activities, rather than focusing solely on individual stadium or venue projects.

Commenting on the appointment, ACG Founder and Executive Chairman Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard said Mr Jean-Marie brought a combination of global football administration, public-sector experience and institutional reform expertise that would strengthen the organisation.

“Kenny Jean-Marie brings a very particular and highly valuable profile to our Advisory Board — the combination of world football administration at the highest level, the leadership of FIFA's multi-billion-dollar global development programme, the discipline and institutional literacy of French sovereign public service, and the current, active mission of rebuilding a football federation from the ground up.”

Mr Pompigne-Mognard said the combination of those experiences would be important in developing sport and entertainment district projects capable of meeting the requirements of governments, football federations and development finance institutions.

“His presence on our Advisory Board reinforces the calibre of expertise we are assembling around ACG,” he added.

ACG's vision for African sport

The ACG Advisory Board provides strategic guidance as the organisation develops and structures large-scale sport and entertainment district projects across Africa.

The company said its model is designed to bring together governments, public-private partnership authorities and regulators, development finance institutions, investors, developers, designers and engineers, legal and transaction advisers, sport federations and leagues, event promoters, media and broadcast partners, academic institutions and host communities.

According to ACG, the objective is to create a structured pathway for projects from initial concept through feasibility studies, bankability and eventual delivery.

The organisation estimates that Africa’s sport economy could reach $20 billion by 2035, but argues that the continent lacks sufficient integrated sport and entertainment ecosystems capable of supporting large-scale investment and development.

ACG said it therefore aims to move beyond single-venue development towards financially sustainable, mixed-use districts that can generate multiple revenue streams while supporting sport, entertainment, infrastructure and broader economic activity.