African Collaborations Group (ACG), a strategic project-creation platform focused on the industrialisation of sport in Africa, announces the appointment of Paulo J. Cruz as Founding CEO. Based in London, the organisation structures large-scale ecosystems of integrated sport and entertainment hubs designed to attract institutional capital.
Paulo J. Cruz joins ACG after four years at DAMAC Group, one of the Middle East’s largest private real estate developers, where he served as Senior Vice President from 2022 to 2026. In 2025, the group had generated close to €8.7 billion in property sales. His time at DAMAC extended a career already marked by infrastructure creation, urbanisation strategy and large-scale real estate development in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
A 28-year career spanning infrastructure and financial structuring
Over the course of his 28-year career, Paulo J. Cruz has initiated or structured projects ranging from €43.5 million to more than €4.35 billion, covering the full development cycle: initial concept, feasibility analysis, financial structuring and investor alignment through to bankable delivery milestones.
His career includes senior positions at BP, one of the world’s largest energy companies; BlackIvy Group, a US-backed infrastructure investment platform; Movares, a leading engineering consultancy in Europe; and Cushman & Wakefield, a globally recognised real estate advisory firm.
Before joining DAMAC, he had been CEO of LandAfrique Group, a pan-African development platform focused on industrial parks, infrastructure, housing and energy projects in sub-Saharan Africa, a role that consolidated his reputation among the continent’s most experienced development leaders.
A platform to structure African sport
As Founding CEO of ACG, Paulo J. Cruz will lead the development of a pan-African project-creation platform, working closely with sovereign governments, development finance institutions, private investors, sport and entertainment executives and leading academic institutions. The aim: to structure district-level projects that are both investable and deliverable at scale.
ACG operates as a creation and collaboration platform designed to turn concepts into credible, bankable sport and entertainment ecosystems, capable of attracting institutional capital and generating multidimensional economic impact at national and continental level. This approach forms part of a broader drive towards structuring investment in Africa, where project bankability determines access to institutional capital.
ACG’s flagship initiative, Victory District™, offers a proprietary district development framework intended to create mixed-use sport and entertainment destinations that go beyond conventional single-venue models. The framework prioritises optimised asset utilisation, long-term sustainability, revenue diversification beyond matchday economics, structured job creation and opportunities for young people, talent development pathways, and operating and maintenance standards of institutional quality.
An advisory board drawn from global sports governance
Paulo J. Cruz’s appointment follows the establishment of ACG’s advisory board, made up of recognised leaders in global sports governance, finance, infrastructure and development institutions. Members include Fatma Samoura, former Secretary General of FIFA; Kenny Jean-Marie, former Director of Member Associations at FIFA; Herbert Mensah, President of Rugby Africa and member of the World Rugby Board; and Jan Alessie, co-founder and CEO of the World Football Summit. A Research & Impact Advisory Panel, made up of academics specialising in the economics, governance and societal impact of sport, completes the structure.
Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, Founder and Executive Chairman of ACG, says that Paulo J. Cruz brings an exceptional combination of project-creation expertise, institutional credibility and continental experience that is virtually unmatched in this field. His proven ability to turn ambitious development concepts into financially structured, bankable projects, he adds, makes him the ideal leader to guide ACG in building a platform capable of catalysing transformative investment and accelerating the delivery of financially sustainable sport and entertainment districts across Africa.
Infrastructure is the prerequisite
A regular speaker at international events such as the API Summit, ARCE, the African Union’s annual Housing Finance conference and the West Africa Real Estate Investment Summit, Paulo J. Cruz was named ‘Person of the Month’ by Sustainable Investments and Alliances for Africa (SIA).
Paulo J. Cruz, Founding CEO of African Collaborations Group, says infrastructure is the prerequisite for the industrialisation of sport in Africa, and that without it the entire value chain remains theoretical. Athletes, he explains, need places to train, compete and develop; sports governing bodies need venues that meet international standards; and media, sponsors and event organisers need facilities capable of generating commercial value. But, he adds, how that infrastructure comes about determines whether it becomes an economic engine or a fiscal burden. Across Africa, he notes, too many sports facilities have been built in isolation: a stadium delivered for a single event, then left to fall into disuse at a fraction of its capacity, draining public finances rather than generating returns. ACG exists, he says, to change that equation.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
African Collaborations Group appoints new Founding CEO
Paulo J. Cruz named Founding CEO of ACG, a pan-African sports and entertainment infrastructure platform
28-year career structuring projects from €43.5M to over €4.35Bn
Previously Senior VP at DAMAC Group (2022-2026) and CEO of LandAfrique
Flagship initiative Victory District™ targets mixed-use sports and entertainment districts
Advisory board includes Fatma Samoura (ex-FIFA), Herbert Mensah (Rugby Afrique) and Jan Alessie (World Football Summit)
