Africa's lack of snow, ice, high mountains, continent-wide rinks, subsequent equipment, and winter weather makes it highly unlikely for African nations to become instantly competitive in top-flight international ice hockey for the forseeable future. There's not even an African unifying ice hockey federation governing the sport. 12 different African nations participate in ice hockey at various levels of development. Many are in their infancies and sorely needs better organization. Nor is there an African Nations Ice Hockey Cup or a club version yet. South Africa, the most industrialized African nation and a full member of the IIHF with a national federation, ice hockey rinks, clubs and national teams, being the best one of the bunch but still playing at the lower international levels possessing its own national challenges. Algeria just became a IIHF member last year. Namibia withdrew from IIHF comps and left altogether but I hope it'll return as it focuses on inline hockey. Kenya, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Nigeria all have some amateur teams and clubs but with no status or IIHF membership. There actually have been African/African diaspora players in the NHL or overseas pro leagues like Roman Ndur, Jarome Iginla, Oliver Kylington, Johnny Oduya, Djamel Zitouni, Yassine Fahas, and Harond Litim. But more of them filling the ranks will take time
But that doesn't mean minnows like an African ice hockey national team can't "dream big". With the way how the qualification systems are though, it can take generations along with hard work, focus, developing skill, developing international experience over the years, deepening the collective talent pool, organization, money, quality coaching, and conditioning/training. As stated before Kenya does actually have some ice hockey but still far away from the Olympics. Nevertheless in this Alibaba Olympic commercial as a worldwide sponsor for its new campaign, it inspires and pays tribute to "the greatness of small" to cook up their own African ice hockey answer to the Jamaican bobsled team's Cool Runnings. A Kenyan boy gets inspired to play ice (and roller) hockey while watching Olympic ice hockey presumably shown on Supersport from South Africa shown throughout Sub-Saharan Africa on a mass Winter Olympic showing. He encounters older doubters along the way who are unfamiliar with the sport but still persists while playing. Kenya, while having already participated in five Winter Olympics, does have a national ice hockey team of sorts but has yet to participate in major IIHF international tournaments to get one as a team. The ice rink they eventually and excitedly make it to here nearly at the end to feel the ice actually is Cape Town's Ice Station that has oftimes hosted Division III tournaments when held in South Africa but ultimately fantasizes of the big Olympic show you see at the end. Odd to hear a digireedoo in the score.