Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decided to bring some star power from the sports world to his game plane in Africa this week, as he pursues support for a seat for Canada on the powerful United Nations Security Council.

Trudeau arrived in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa Friday night, where he will attend a weekend session of the African Union. It’s a chance for Trudeau to meet directly with several of the 54 African leaders, whose votes at the June vote at the UN will be critical to Canada’s success.

He is travelling with three of his cabinet ministers but the celebrity element goes to Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri, who Trudeau invited to join the delegation. Ujiri was raised in Nigeria, and played professional basketball in Europe before becoming a player scout and executive in the NBA.