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Rwanda’s partnership with European football clubs an investment, not aid
The Rwanda
Development Board (RDB) on Sunday, August 27, announced that it signed a
five-year partnership with German football club Bayern Munich to promote
tourism in the east African country and set up a football academy there.
Rwanda
now has sponsorship deals with three prominent European clubs; Arsenal and
Paris Saint Germain being the other beneficiaries, who signed the ‘Visit
Rwanda’ deal in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Related: PSG
deal a big win for Rwanda
Rwanda’s
detractors were quick to point out that as a ‘low-income’ country, it should
not be spending money on ‘aiding’ European football clubs. However, one thing
these critics ignore is that, these deals are investments yielding substantial returns
for Rwanda.
Rwanda's
partnerships with Arsenal, and PSG, have proved to be hitting the mark in
attracting tourists, investors, and more.
Rwanda
chose the German club for a reason; Germans are among the top six visitors to
Rwanda annually. As one of the biggest economies in the world, with this new
partnership Rwanda hopes to attract more investors to do more in the country.
In
2022, Rwanda received more than a million visitors, bringing in half a billion
dollars in tourism revenues. According to statistics, the partnerships with
Arsenal and PSG generated more than $160 million (€148 million) and attracted a
million visitors, generating an additional $445 million (€412 million).
As
part of this new partnership with Bayern Munich, that will run until 2028, the
"Visit Rwanda" logo will appear on the illuminated panels around the
pitch at the Allianz Arena that has 75,000 seats, in addition to the
organization of various initiatives and activities to promote tourism and
investment opportunities in Rwanda.
The
club will work closely with Rwanda's Ministry of Sports in establishing a
football academy. The primary objective of this academy is to enhance the
development of football within the country.
A
similar deal was struck with PSG, where the Parisian club established its
academy in Rwanda and good results of the partnership are already being
noticed. In June, the Rwandan academy of Paris Saint-Germain football club was
crowned 2023 PSG Club World Cup champions after beating Brazil in both Under 11
and Under 13 categories.
Rwanda’s
victory sparked joy and hope in the country’s football fans. There is brighter
future for football in the country. Rwanda has had no appraisable record in
football in world tournaments, but these partnerships are expected to be a game
changer.
Beyond
football, Visit Rwanda has collaborated with NBA Africa, which prompted Kigali
to host the very first edition of the Basketball Africa League in 2021, a
success despite taking place in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
By
branding the country as a country of investment opportunities, welcoming to
tourists, Rwanda is looking to cash in up to $800 million by 2025.
