Nigeria is moving from spectator to stakeholder in one of the world’s most ambitious new motorsport ventures, with the country’s first E1 electric racing team preparing to join the championship — and celebrity owners Will Smith and LeBron James already showing interest in visiting Lagos.
- Will Smith wants to “come home”
- Nigeria gets its own E1 team
- E1 is targeting a €500 million valuation
- Team PRONC wants to sell Nigeria to the world
- Will Smith is already helping E1 expand in Africa
- LeBron James adds another layer of star power
- Lagos could become a major E1 destination
- E1’s African strategy goes beyond racing
- The bigger opportunity for Nigeria
Team PRONC will represent Nigeria in the UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF from the 2027 season, adding Nigerian ownership to a competition that has attracted major names including Smith, James, Tom Brady, Didier Drogba, Rafael Nadal and DJ Steve Aoki.
The development gives Nigeria more than another international sporting event. It creates a platform that its founders hope can connect motorsport, tourism, entertainment, fashion, music and technology while giving African talent a larger role in the rapidly developing electric racing industry.
Will Smith wants to “come home”
Will Smith’s interest in Nigeria emerged during an E1 race weekend in Monaco, according to Team PRONC co-founder Richie Shittu.
Shittu said Smith expressed enthusiasm about visiting Lagos after learning more about the Nigerian team’s involvement in the championship.
The actor is already closely connected to E1 through his Visit Angola Westbrook Racing team, giving him an existing relationship with the championship’s expansion into Africa.
Team PRONC co-founder Cecil Hammond also said Smith and LeBron James had indicated that they would like to visit Lagos.
For Nigeria, the celebrity interest could provide an additional boost to a city already positioning itself as a major destination for entertainment, business and international events.
Nigeria gets its own E1 team
Team PRONC was founded by Nigerian entrepreneurs and investors Cecil Hammond, Richie Shittu, Preye Berezi, Osahon Okunbo and Ndy Oruche.
The group has backgrounds spanning hospitality, entertainment, private members’ clubs and cultural businesses.
Their move into electric powerboat racing represents a significant expansion of that portfolio — and a new form of African participation in international motorsport.
Until now, Lagos’ relationship with E1 has primarily been that of a host city.
That changed with Team PRONC.
From hosting a race to owning a team
Lagos made history in 2025 by becoming E1’s first African host city, joining a calendar featuring destinations such as Monaco, Miami and Lake Como.
The Nigerian franchise takes that relationship a step further by giving local investors a direct stake in the championship.
That distinction could prove important commercially.
Hosting an international sporting event can generate tourism and exposure, but owning a team provides a longer-term platform through which Nigerian businesses can participate in sponsorship, branding, hospitality, media and sporting development.
E1 is targeting a €500 million valuation
The Nigerian investment comes as E1 attempts to build the commercial value of electric powerboat racing globally.
The championship has previously sought approximately €20 million (about R390 million) in fresh capital as part of a strategy targeting a €500 million (about R9.8 billion) valuation by 2030.
Individual franchises have reportedly required initial commitments of around €2 million (approximately R39 million), alongside estimated annual operating costs of another €2 million.
Those figures underline that E1 is being positioned as more than a conventional racing series.
Its business model combines sport with electric marine technology, sustainability, destination marketing and entertainment.
For Nigeria, the opportunity is therefore not limited to what happens on the water.
Team PRONC wants to sell Nigeria to the world
The founders of Team PRONC intend to use the franchise as a vehicle for promoting Nigerian culture and tourism.
That includes showcasing the country’s:
- Hospitality industry
- Music scene
- Fashion
- Tourism destinations
- Technology and innovation
- Sporting talent
The strategy could also give emerging African athletes and technical specialists opportunities to enter a sport that remains relatively new.
Electric powerboat racing requires expertise beyond traditional motorsport, including marine engineering, battery systems, software, data analysis and sustainable propulsion technology.
That creates a potential pathway for African engineers and technology specialists to participate in an emerging global industry.
Will Smith is already helping E1 expand in Africa
Smith’s interest in Nigeria comes as E1 establishes a second African base in Angola.
In March 2026, the actor travelled to Luanda with E1 founder and chairman Alejandro Agag and Angolan Tourism Minister Márcio de Jesus Lopes Daniel to announce the E1 Luanda GP.
The race is scheduled for 12–13 September 2026, making Angola the second African destination on the championship calendar after Lagos.
Smith owns the Visit Angola Westbrook Racing team and has already used his involvement with E1 to promote the Angolan event.
“Africa has always embodied passion and relentless drive,” Smith said when the Luanda race was announced.
The expansion gives E1 a growing presence along Africa’s Atlantic coastline, with Nigeria and Angola offering two very different markets and tourism propositions.
LeBron James adds another layer of star power
LeBron James is another major celebrity investor in the championship.
The NBA superstar owns an E1 team and joins a growing list of internationally recognised figures who have invested in the series.
For E1, celebrity ownership is strategically useful because the sport is still establishing its identity and audience.
Rather than competing solely on racing heritage, the championship is attempting to combine sport, entertainment, celebrity culture and sustainability.
That approach could be particularly effective in markets such as Nigeria, where music, sport and entertainment already have enormous cultural influence.
Lagos could become a major E1 destination
The Nigerian capital is increasingly being used as an international platform for large-scale entertainment and sporting events.
E1’s arrival adds an unusual new dimension: electric boats racing along Lagos’ waterfront.
For local tourism operators, hotels, restaurants, entertainment businesses and event companies, an international race weekend can create opportunities well beyond ticket sales.
The presence of global celebrities could further increase international media attention.
If Team PRONC successfully establishes itself as an African franchise rather than simply a Nigerian one, Lagos could potentially become a gateway for E1’s wider expansion across the continent.
E1’s African strategy goes beyond racing
The championship’s expansion comes with an environmental message.
E1 boats are fully electric, while the series incorporates marine technology and conservation into its broader identity.
The championship also requires teams to field both male and female pilots, giving it an opportunity to promote greater gender diversity in motorsport.
That could be particularly significant for African sporting development, where access to high-level international motorsport remains limited.
The challenge will be converting the glamour surrounding celebrity ownership and international events into lasting local opportunities.
The bigger opportunity for Nigeria
Team PRONC’s arrival gives Nigeria an unusual position in the global electric-mobility conversation.
The country is already one of Africa’s biggest entertainment and business markets. Adding an international electric racing franchise could create a bridge between those industries and emerging technologies.
The immediate attraction may be the spectacle of high-speed electric boats and the possibility of seeing celebrities such as Will Smith and LeBron James in Lagos.
But the longer-term opportunity is potentially much bigger.
If Team PRONC can develop Nigerian drivers, engineers, technicians, entrepreneurs and creative businesses around the franchise, E1 could become more than an international sporting show visiting Lagos.
It could become a platform through which African talent participates in the next generation of motorsport.
And with Nigeria joining Angola on the E1 calendar, Africa’s role in the championship is shifting from host destination to active participant.
