The event took place in Kigali from July 26 to August 2, 2025, and the Congolese participants are accused of attending it without official authorization to represent their country.

After the festival concluded, Congo’s Minister of Sports, Didier Budimbu Ntubuanga, asked FEBACO to explain how some citizens of the country took part in activities in Rwanda while wearing the DRC flag, even though they had not been granted permission to do so.

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In a statement released by FEBACO, the federation announced that four coaches who appeared at Giants of Africa 2025 have been permanently banned, including Natacha Teba Mambengya, a former captain of the DRC national team who later became coach of BC Hatari.

As for the players, they were suspended for periods ranging from 12 months to two years. Gloire Tambwe Mwamba received the harshest punishment a two-year suspension because it was not his first offense, and he had previously refused a national team call-up.

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Apart from Congo, the festival was attended by participants from several other countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Mali, Morocco, and Senegal.

Giants of Africa brings together young people and coaches from across Africa with the goal of developing basketball talent through games, training, and capacity-building activities.