The E1 World Championship, a racing series for electric powerboats, will race in Africa for the first time this weekend, with an event in the busy Nigerian city of Lagos.
The E1 Lagos Grand Prix is the second-to-last race of the season and will take place on Five Cowrie Creek in Lagos. Nine teams will compete before the final race of the year in Miami.
“This is E1’s first-ever race on the African continent,” the organisers said on Tuesday. The E1 series has already raced in famous cities like Jeddah, Doha, Monaco, and Miami.
According to organisers and the Lagos State government, Ivory Coast football legend Didier Drogba and his partner Gabrielle Lemaire played a key role in bringing the race to Africa.
Drogba and Lemaire are two of several famous team owners in the E1 series. Other big names include basketball star LeBron James and tennis champion Rafael Nadal.
“Bringing E1 to Africa is a big step in our goal to grow electric boat racing around the world,” said Rodi Basso, E1’s founder and CEO.
He added that Lagos, known for its lively music and culture scene, brings “amazing energy, creativity, and ambition” — a perfect match for E1’s vision.
Gbenga Omotoso, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, told AFP that the idea to bring the race to Lagos came after the state governor attended an E1 race in Monaco earlier this year.
“Drogba’s team approached us in March with the proposal to host the championship here,” Omotoso said. Drogba is expected to attend the race this weekend.
“It’s the first time the E1 powerboat series is coming to Africa, and Lagos is proud to be the first city to host it,” he added, calling it a “historic” moment.
Power outages are common in Nigeria, despite being one of Africa’s biggest oil producers. However, Omotoso promised: “There won’t be any power failure, I can assure you.”
Ahead of the race, the Lagos government has cleaned up the city’s large lagoon, removing plastic and other waste. Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, general manager of the Lagos State Waterways Authority, said they also blocked 28 sites where rubbish usually flows into the water.