The International Sports Institute Educational Trust Ltd/Gte (ISI) has held its maiden graduation ceremony and launched an anthology on sports business management and innovation in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
In a special press statement dated September 3, 2026, the institute described the ceremony as a landmark moment in the advancement of professional sports education in Nigeria and Africa.
The event also featured the conferment of the Distinguished Fellow of the Institute (DFISI) award on selected personalities in recognition of their outstanding contributions to sports development, governance and education.
Among those honoured were the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, the Director-General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Prof. Craig Mahoney, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West of Scotland, and former Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare.
Other personalities recognised for their contributions to sports development included Dr Larry Izamoje, Godwin Enahena, Kunle Solaja and Kunle Oluwusi.
A major highlight of the ceremony was the launch of the Graduating Students’ Capstone: Anthology of Sports Business Management and Innovations Book of Readings, which showcases the intellectual output of the institute’s pioneer students.
The anthology features works produced by students who completed programmes in Professional Executive Master of Sports Business Management and Sports Psychopathology/Coaching Science.
The institute said the programmes were designed to bridge critical skills and knowledge gaps in the sports industry while producing professionals capable of driving innovation and commercial viability in Africa’s sports economy.
ISI Founder, Professor Oluwaseun O. Omotayo, said the institute would soon commence a Professional Doctor of Sports Business Management by Research programme aimed at developing the next generation of sports scholars, policy experts and industry leaders.
He added that the institute remained committed to building capacity, producing research and partnering with government and the private sector to reposition sports as a tool for development, security and economic growth.
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