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Visit Rwanda is Arsenal Football Club’s official Tourism Partner and its first shirt sleeve partner. The Visit Rwanda logo features on the left sleeve of all AFC teams for the duration of the exciting, three-year partnership.

The Arsenal shirt is seen 35 million times a day globally and AFC is one of the most watched teams around the world, enabling Visit Rwanda to be seen in football-loving nations around the world and helping its drive to be an even more successful tourism and investment destination.

Arsenals Chief Commercial Officer, Vinai Venkatesham, said: This is an exciting partnership which will see us support Rwandas ambition to build their tourism industry. The country has been transformed in recent years and Arsenals huge following will bring Rwanda into peoples minds in a new and dynamic way.”

Emirates Stadium during the match. Arsenal 1:1 Aston Villa. FA Premiership. Emirates Stadium, Islington, London, 19/8/06. Credit: Arsenal Football Club / David Price.

Aerial view of Emirates Stadium. Arsenal v Chelsea, barclays Premier League, Emirates Stadium, Arsenal Football Club, London, 21/4/2012. Credit : Arsenal Football Club.

Rwanda is ranked as the second easiest place to do business in Africa by the World Bank and has been awarded for its leadership in tourism and economic competitiveness by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the World Economic Forum respectively.

Rwanda Development Board Chief Executive Officer, Clare Akamanzi said: We’re thrilled to be partnering with Arsenal and showcasing the vibrancy and beauty of our country. Rwanda is a country pulsing with energy, creativity and innovation.

Visit Rwanda and discover why we are the second fastest growing economy in Africa. Investors in Rwanda are able to register their businesses in only six hours and prepare to enjoy the opportunities accrued from the free trade agreements that weve signed with over 50 countries.

As part of the partnership, Arsenal players from the mens and womens teams will visit Rwanda and club coaches will host coaching camps to support the development of the game for boys and girls in the country.

Visit Rwanda will gain global exposure through branding on matchday LED boards at the Emirates Stadium, all the interview backdrops and a broad range of other marketing rights.

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The new Arsenalisation banners in place around the stadium. Emirates Stadium, 16/11/09. Credit: Arsenal Football Club / David Price.

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Visit Rwanda: Arsenal agrees £10M-a-year sleeve deal for at least two more years, while the arrival of Messi at PSG is expected to boost tourism campaign.

The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) has renewed their 'Visit Rwanda' sleeve sponsorship deal with Arsenal football club after realizing the return on investment has more than doubled since the launch of the campaign.

Visit Rwanda: Arsenal agree £10M-a-year sleeve deal for at least two more years, while the arrival of Messi at PSG is expected to boost tourism campaign

The new four-year deal, which will run until 2025, is said to be worth up to £10million a year, according to football.london .

The arrival of Lionel Messi at PSG

Things are expected to improve for Rwanda's tourism as the lockdown has been lifted in many countries, and international travel is gradually back on course. What's more, the arrival of Argentinian footballer and world-class player Lionel Messi at PSG is expected to boost the established campaign and create a new channel for facilitating new deals, according to Ariella Kageruka, Ag. Chief Tourism Officer at RDB.

"When such a new partner or new signing comes on board through our partnerships, it means greater visibility for our campaigns. It means that we can reach greater audiences and also varied demographics," she said.

"Important news does have a direct impact as well on our messaging; for instance, since Messi got signed to the PSG squad, we had an increase of followers a few hours later. So that's the kind of leverage that we continue to see," she added.

Paris Saint-Germain F.C. is one of the Visit Rwanda Partners, under a deal of displaying the 'Visit Rwanda' logo on the back of PSG training kits, pre-game warm-up kits, and the women's-club shirt sleeves.

After announcing Messi's two-year deal, the club gained over four million followers on Instagram (38.7 million to 42.7 million).

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Official Rwanda Development Board (RDB) Website

Visit Rwanda-Arsenal partnership officially launched

The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) today launched the Visit Rwanda-Arsenal Football Club partnership during the opening fixture of Arsenal’s English Premier League season at the Emirates Stadium.

Participating at the launch was Clare Akamanzi, CEO of RDB, Yamina Karitanyi, High Commissioner for Rwanda to the United Kingdom and special guests The Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland, Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Lord Stuart Polak, Mazen Al Sawwaf, Rageh Omaar, Alby Shale and Paul Milton. UK Tour operators Amanda Bond, Taqi Moledina and Andrew Dunn were also guests along with members of the Rwandan community in the United Kingdom. Speaking during the launch, CEO Clare Akamanzi said:

“The story of today’s Rwanda is one of vibrancy, beauty, energy, creativity and innovation. This partnership has already started to create greater global awareness of Rwanda’s culture, natural attractions, and numerous opportunities.

With the launch today of our new website, Visitrwanda.com, the world will discover why we are the second fastest growing economy in Africa and a unique tourist and convention destination on the continent”. On 23 May 2018, RDB, through the Rwanda Convention Bureau, became Arsenal’s first official sleeve partner as part of Rwanda’s drive to become a leading global tourist destination.

The three-year deal will also see ‘Visit Rwanda’ become Arsenal’s official Tourism Partner. The ‘Visit Rwanda’ logo will feature on the left sleeve of all teams next season.

Arsenal players from the men’s and women’s teams will visit Rwanda and club coaches will host coaching camps to support the development of the game for boys and girls in the country. ‘Visit Rwanda’ will gain global exposure through branding on match day LED boards at Emirates Stadium, interview backdrops and a broad range of other marketing rights. Rwanda’s growing tourism sector has seen the number of visitors double in the last decade. The country’s national parks are attracting a record number of tourists due to growing numbers of wildlife including black rhinos, lions, zebra, chimpanzees and the famous mountain gorillas. Rwanda is also attracting new hotels and lodges across the country, making it easier to experience unique and memorable vacations.

Rwanda is ranked the second easiest place to do business in Africa by the World Bank and has been awarded for its leadership in tourism and competitiveness by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the World Economic Forum respectively.

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Arsenal not planning to end Visit Rwanda deal despite court ruling against government’s asylum policy

Arsenal have no plans to cancel their sleeve sponsorship deal with Visit Rwanda following the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that the government’s Rwanda immigration plan is “unlawful”.

No changes are anticipated to the four-year £10million-per-year ($12.5m) deal signed in 2021 with Visit Rwanda, which first appeared on Arsenal shirts in 2018.

When delivering the verdict, Lord Robert Reed, president of the court, said Rwanda “has a poor human rights record”, citing evidence from the UN’s refugee agency. Lord Reed added there was a “real risk” asylum seekers could be sent from Rwanda to the places they fled from.

The written ruling stated that “most human rights violations were said to be linked to criticisms of the Rwandan government” with “constraints on media freedom and political activities” and questions about the country’s compliance with international human rights agreements.

Wednesday’s ruling comes following legal challenges to the UK and Rwandan governments’ Asylum Partnership Agreement, which was announced in April 2022. That plan, led by former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, would see the UK send asylum seekers from their shores to Rwanda, where they would be processed under the African country’s asylum system.

As reported by the BBC, a Rwandan government statement said it “takes issue with the ruling that Rwanda is not a safe third country for asylum seekers and refugees” and that it “is committed to its international obligations”.

Arsenal maintain their deal is about promoting tourism in a developing country rather than supporting the country’s political leadership. However, Visit Rwanda is an arm of the Rwanda Development Board which is a government department.

Visit Rwanda also has deals with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.

Arsenal's Visit Rwanda sponsorship: The impact, criticisms and what fans think

When did Arsenal partner with Visit Rwanda?

Arsenal’s deal with Visit Rwanda began in May 2018, when they signed a three-year deal with the Rwanda Development Board. In 2021, Arsenal signed another £10million-per-year ($12.5m) sleeve sponsorship contract with Visit Rwanda lasting another four seasons.

As well as appearing on shirt sleeves of Arsenal’s men’s, women’s and youth teams, the Visit Rwanda logo has been seen on LED boards at the Emirates Stadium and interview backdrops.

Several past and present Arsenal players have visited Rwanda as part of their agreement. In August 2022, Arsenal published footage on their channels of club legends Ray Parlour and Robert Pires’ trip. Last December, four women’s team players — Jen Beattie, Caitlin Foord, Katie McCabe, and Jordan Nobbs — also visited Rwanda. Sponsored content using various active men’s players has been produced since 2018 and Arsenal fans can also buy Visit Rwanda merchandise at the club shop.

The difficulties with Arsenal’s deal

Arsenal’s deal has prompted criticism because the Rwandan government stands accused of serial abuses by multiple human rights groups, with international non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch alleging torture is commonplace alongside a failure to conduct investigations into “suspicious deaths”. Fellow NGO Amnesty International says “disappearances from previous years remained unresolved”.

Last year, Arsenal told The Athletic it carried out “extensive research” before signing the deal , which is focused on boosting tourism in a developing country.

“Our partnership is focussed on promoting the country and helping the tourism sector recover from the pandemic,” a spokesperson said. “Prior to the pandemic, visitor numbers from key countries including the UK and across Europe had shown significant increases which coincide with the start of our partnership.

“In 2019, Rwanda experienced a 30 per cent year-on-year increase in visitors for tourism and MICE tourism (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) from across Europe, and an 18 per cent year-on-year increase from the UK.”

In 2021, the UK government criticised Rwanda at the United Nations Human Rights Council for “extrajudicial killings, deaths in custody, enforced disappearances and torture”.

“I think Arsenal fans should worry about their football club supporting one of the most repressive regimes in Africa,” author Michela Wrong told The Athletic last year. “Given what is going on in his country, the president has blood on his hands.”

While Rwanda was a fairly niche issue in the UK when Arsenal first signed the deal, that has all changed over the last year as the Conservative government has pursued its ‘Rwanda policy’ which has now been thrown out by the Supreme Court.

As Arsenal’s Premier League season continues, in the UK, Rwanda now may become synonymous with ongoing political battles as the right-wing of the Conservative Party proposes leaving the European Court of Human Rights which they blame for blocking the Rwanda deal.

(Photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

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“Visit Rwanda”: a well primed public relations campaign or a genuine attempt at improving the country’s image abroad?

Published: 16 April 2021
Volume 19 , pages 143–154, ( 2023 )

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This article examines why Rwanda, a poor African country that is generally known for the horrific genocide that took place there in 1994, has decided to sponsor Arsenal, one of the richest football clubs in the world, using “Visit Rwanda” messaging. It therefore analyses the contextual circumstances, which explain the Rwandan government's choice for profiling itself using this manner of nation branding. As such, the article outlines how the commercial deal is seen as part of a state-led strategy for the long-term development of the country. By presenting Rwanda as a place to go to, the negative image of the genocide will be replaced by the image of a more stable country which is attractive to visitors and investments. However, other reports cast doubt on the sincerity of this strategy, as they purport that this effort in nation branding is being used to persuade the international community to overlook alleged human right violations in the country. Consequently, the article concludes that the Rwandan government's choice for branding the country in this manner appears ambiguous and seemingly limits itself to marketing, in order to achieve benefits for the country that are probably too good to be true.

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Voets, T.Y. “Visit Rwanda”: a well primed public relations campaign or a genuine attempt at improving the country’s image abroad?. Place Brand Public Dipl 19 , 143–154 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41254-021-00206-6

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David Luiz sporting the Visit Rwanda shirtsleeve sponsorship the club have carried on their shirts since 2018.

Does Arsenal's Visit Rwanda shirtsleeve deal remain a 'compelling fit'?

David Luiz might well recommend a holiday in Rwanda, but with the situation there of international concern this sponsorship looks increasingly strange

I n January this year the Foreign Office urged the Rwandan government to look into allegations of “deaths in custody, enforced disappearances and torture”. The logistics of this shouldn’t be too difficult. The allegations are against the Rwandan government itself.

Six months ago Paul Rusesabagina, the hotelier whose peaceable role in the 1994 genocide was portrayed in the film Hotel Rwanda , was bundled on to a plane in Dubai to face what his family have called a sham trial on terrorism charges.

And a year before that David Luiz travelled to Rwanda on a sensational luxury tourist holiday – all the better to illustrate what the then chief commercial officer, Vinai Venkatesham, called “the very compelling fit” between Arsenal football club and a country where public life is marked by “threats, intimidation [and] mysterious deaths”, according to Human Rights Watch .

Never mind that, though. Look away from the moral discomfort. Here’s David Luiz’s video diary. Here’s David Luiz stalking a gorilla, David Luiz nutmegging a laughing child, David Luiz walking through the forest in a soaking wet Arsenal tracksuit. David Luiz’s verdict ? “I’m going to recommend all my friends to spend their holidays in Rwanda.”

Arsenal’s sponsorship by Visit Rwanda remains an oddity of the commercial-sporting nexus. There was a degree of surprise in May 2018 when the shirtsleeve deal was announced .

It has since puttered along in the peripheral vision, absorbed into the wider moral contortions of Premier League life. Football has spent the past decade being bought and sold by sovereign states, used to puff, gloss and scour international reputations. What’s another friendly despot?

The difference with Rwanda is that, while undoubtedly a beautiful place to visit, it is also one of the poorest nations on earth. This isn’t a mini-superpower with surplus GDP tumbling out of its trouser turn-ups. Rwanda is not much bigger than Wales. The majority of its people live in poverty. It relies massively on foreign aid. And yet here it is paying out £30m to one of the world’s richest sporting clubs.

Two things have brought this into starker relief in the past few weeks. That three-year contract is up for renewal in the summer. And as the UK government statement suggests, the situation in Rwanda has become a source of genuine international concern.

Michela Wrong is a writer and journalist who has been covering Rwanda since the genocide. Her book on president Paul Kagame’s 21-year regime – Do Not Disturb: The story of a political murder and an African regime gone bad – is published in April.

“On a human rights front things have definitely got worse since 2018,” Wrong says. “Rwanda is one of the most repressive countries in Africa. You’ve got real poverty. Every election in Rwanda is rigged, everyone knows that. Worse, there is an unrelenting desire to hunt down and silence critics of the government abroad.”

This process, known as “transnational repression”, is a key theme in Wrong’s book, with the suggestion the Rwandan government silences dissent abroad via a secret service she compares to Mossad and the East German Stasi.

The government is essentially an embodiment of its president. Re-elected in 2017 with a hugely impressive 99% majority , Kagame was a leader of the liberating armies after the genocide. He has been a darling of the world stage, cosying up to Tony Blair and Bill Clinton, and often tweeting about Arsenal in the final days of Arsène Wenger (Kagame was, reluctantly, #Wengerout).

“I think of [Kagame] as a very sinister figure now,” Wrong says. “He’s going to be there for life, he doesn’t have any successors, all his closest colleagues from when he rose to power have been killed or imprisoned.”

How does that fit with the branded gushing, with David Luiz’s trip to the presidential residence (the hand‑slaps, the “PK” replica shirt)? Or indeed the account on the Arsenal website that describes Rwanda as “a leading reformer in Africa”.

The club are not willing to shed any light on the renewal of the deal. A spokesperson told the Guardian: “We never discuss the commercial terms or renewals of our partnerships, but we and Visit Rwanda are delighted with how things have been working since we launched together in 2018. As well as raising awareness of the country as a luxury holiday destination, we have also worked together to challenge perceptions and tell Rwanda’s incredible story of culture, heritage and transition.”

The schmaltz may seem a little galling to some. But there is at least a bracingly bullish amorality to Arsenal’s position on this. These are, after all, questions football needs to confront and untangle with a degree of honesty as it struggles to navigate a path between unfettered growth and expansion (also known as greed), and any notion of being selective over who it deals with.

Arsenal are right, too. According to Rwandan figures the campaign has been a success, lifting overall tourism numbers by 8%. Whatever the regime might be up to, Rwanda has a functioning tourist industry –; hoteliers, taxi drivers and everyday people who will benefit hugely from economic activity.

Where do we draw the line? Who do we deem acceptable from our own rather wobbly throne of judgment? Can we fly Emirates but not Visit Rwanda? Can we sell Saudi Arabia instruments of death but not a football club? This is simply football’s global landscape, a ziggurat of conflicting interests and messages, a place where nobody is really out of the murk.

For Arsenal, the question of whether to renew the Rwanda deal remains open. Perhaps Rwanda’s presence on the Covid travel red list will play a part. Perhaps the concerns of the Foreign Office will carry some weight.

This was always an unexpected fit. Set against English football’s much-trumpeted moral rectitude of the past year, and couched as a simpering corporate partnership (David Luiz waving in a Jeep: meet the Gikondo street children’s transit centre), it looks increasingly strange.

Arsenal face questions over Visit Rwanda sponsorship deal amid human rights abuse allegations

Arsenal have renewed their lucrative sponsorship deal with Visit Rwanda, despite the country facing allegations of human rights abuses, including claims that vocal critics of Rwandan president Paul Kagame are being murdered or disappearing

09:00, 21 SEP 2021

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When Arsenal succumbed meekly to Brentford on the opening night of the season, among the loudest critics of their performance was Paul Kagame. “We just must NOT excuse or Accept mediocrity,” the Rwandan president told his Twitter audience of 2.4million. “I am sure we all know on whose shoulders the heaviest burden rests. I hope they know too or even accept it!!!”

Kagame’s complaint was mostly viewed with amusement by supporters, and relayed by dozens of media outlets, before the story took another turn when it was reported a couple of days later that the club had renewed its lucrative sponsorship deal with the African country’s tourism board.

The agreement had actually been confirmed in May and sees one of the world’s poorest nations, which is reliant upon aid and with a GDP of less than $900 per capita, continue to pay one of the world’s richest football clubs more than £10m a year for its logo to appear on shirt sleeves and around the Emirates Stadium.

More troubling are the allegations of human rights abuses, including claims that vocal critics of Kagame are being murdered or disappearing. Human Rights Watch, the United Nations and the UK’s Foreign Office have all raised concerns this year and the conclusion of a high-profile trial in the capital Kigali yesterday should sharpen interest from the West further.

These developments pose difficult questions for Arsenal regarding their moral and social duty in addition to whether the club is being used as a sportswashing vehicle to enhance Rwanda’s reputation.

The journalist Michela Wrong, whose book Do Not Disturb digs deep into Kagame’s authoritarian regime, described the agreement with Arsenal as “like being sponsored by Pinochet” and “an insult to UK taxpayers” in an interview with football.london , while a spokesperson for the Arsenal Supporters Trust said that the club has “lost its moral compass in its desire to maximise revenues.”

In response Arsenal said that it was working with the country to “change perceptions” while, pre-pandemic, Kagame and the Rwandan Development Board claimed the deal pays for itself because of the rise in visitors.

His Twitter account has been dormant since those posts on August 14, save for two messages following a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel a fortnight later. Perhaps because there are bigger issues to occupy his thoughts than a football club 4,000 miles away.

Yesterday in a Kigali courtroom Paul Rusesabagina, the real-life hero of Hotel Rwanda , was found guilty of terror-related offences. The trial has been described as a “sham” by his family and legal team in a country where, according to Human Rights Watch, legal standards are “routinely flouted… [and] often used to prosecute prominent government critics."

President of Rwanda Paul Kagame attends the Vaccine Equity for Africa event in Berlin on August 27, 2021, amid the ongoing coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP) (Photo by TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Rusesabagina, who has held Belgian citizenship since fleeing the country in 1996 in addition to a US green card, had been lured back via Dubai under supposed false pretences. The European Commission has criticised the government for his “enforced disappearance, illegal rendition, and incommunicado detention”. Rusesabagina, 67, boycotted the trial. He was given a 25-year sentence.

Earlier this month Revocat Karemangingo, a prominent critic of Kagame, was shot nine times in Mozambique. The former army general is the latest high-profile exile to have been murdered in recent years. While the Rwandan government has dismissed any suggestion of involvement the Foreign Office earlier this year called on the regime to “conduct transparent, credible and independent investigations into allegations of extrajudicial killings, deaths in custody, enforced disappearances and torture, and bring perpetrators to justice” having unexpectedly criticised the regime at the United Nations in January.

“It’s a controlling, repressive, sinister regime,” Wrong says. “There’s a good development record, they’ve won brownie points for controlling Covid. But does Arsenal want to be connected with a country with that profile and reputation? He does a lot of this sportswashing. He’s a very clever marketer who consults and pays huge amounts of money to lobbying and reputational management companies. Tens of thousands of pounds from this incredibly poor country.”

Several former Western leaders, including Tony Blair and Bill Clinton, have praised Kagame for how he led the country out of the 1994 genocide but the present impression is much different, illustrated by the UK and US both raising concerns in the past 12 months. “He’s very aware of how Rwanda has this unusual image,” Wrong adds. “He has capitalised on the genocide and the guilt and emotion people feel towards it.”

Kagame, who has been president since 2000 and changed the constitution so he can continue in office for as long as he sees fit, is also being accused of using basketball and cycling in addition to football as ways to enhance his reputation in the West. While Visit Rwanda have a similar deal with Paris Saint-Germain, the 63-year-old is a long-time Arsenal supporter and has use of an executive box at the Emirates.

While it was only widely reported as new information last month, the renewed deal was quietly confirmed in the sixth paragraph of the club’s away kit announcement in May, a marked difference to the PR blitz that followed in 2018. Back then it was framed as a “compelling fit”, the defender David Luiz went on a promotional tour and coaches travelled to deliver seminars to young players.

“There is a strong element of it being a vanity project,” Wrong says. “Kagame likes to opine and engage with them on Twitter. He’s very present on social media, the whole administration is very savvy that way. It gives him a lot of satisfaction.

“A lot of people feel it’s inappropriate. It’s a very poor country with a questionable human rights record. Why not spend this money on hospitals? Why not spend it on education? Those are all paid for by donors and aid. DFID [Department for International Development] and USAID [United States Agency for International Development] have been pouring money in but why should they when they are spending these sums on a football club? It’s an insult to British taxpayers who make aid possible.”

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The most recent available figures indicate that the UK provides more than £60m in aid to Rwanda, while one European government discussed stopping its funding having been appalled by the Arsenal deal.

The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust have sought answers from the club and the government but said they “declined to share” evidence of increased tourist numbers and revenues. “The AST has questioned the morality of this commercial arrangement since it was first announced in 2018,” a spokesperson said. “Rwanda is one of the poorest countries in the world and is in receipt of foreign financial aid from many countries including the UK. On any grounds a deal such as this is hard to justify and claims of sportwashing by a regime that is coming under increasing scrutiny is difficult to refute.

“Disappointingly Arsenal appear to have lost its moral compass in its desire to maximise revenues and in the absence of any ESG [environmental, social and governance] framework at the club unpalatable deals such as this will remain unchecked.”

When all of these claims were put to Arsenal, a club spokesperson said: “Since our partnership began in 2018, we have worked together to challenge perceptions and tell Rwanda’s story of culture, heritage and transition, as well as raising awareness of the country as a luxury holiday destination.

“One year after the partnership began, Rwanda’s tourism revenue increased by 17% and tourists from Europe increased by 22%. This increase supports the growth of Rwanda’s economy, creating more revenue they can reinvest across all key sectors, lifting thousands out of poverty, and empowering citizens. This is where we will continue our focus.”

In 2019 Visit Rwanda said that pre-pandemic visitor numbers from the UK had risen by 5% and around the same time Kagame, again on Twitter, wrote: “Critics say that this is not how we should invest our money. In a very short time, I want to tell you that we have more or less made what we have spent more or less profitable, and that we expect much more.”

“Before the partnership was signed, 71% of the millions of Arsenal fans worldwide did not consider Rwanda a tourist destination, at the end of the first year of the partnership, half of them considered Rwanda a destination to visit,” said Belise Kariza, head of RDB’s tourism department.

Yet after 18 months of no tourism it is even harder to justify the outlay. For Arsenal, meanwhile, it is worth considering the words of the supporters’ trust. Have they lost their moral compass? And is it right to expect modern football clubs, billion-pound businesses rather than community assets, to put ethical concerns ahead of financial gain?

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Rwanda and Arsenal: Why a budding developmental state is sponsoring a football team

Policy Solutions

Pritish Behuria explores the possible motivations behind Rwanda’s decision to sponsor Arsenal, and prospects for success for the “Visit Rwanda” campaign.

On 23 May, The Rwandan Development Board announced that it had signed a ‘Visit Rwanda’ sleeve sponsorship deal – worth around 10 million pounds a year for three years – with Arsenal F.C., the world’s best football club (I am clearly not an Arsenal fan). Many were surprised by this news. Most of all, Dutch Members of Parliament and politicians. De Telegraaf – a Dutch newspaper – published a story, quoting one Dutch MP who said, “I am indignant that a country where we provide solid financial assistance has now become a whopping €30million shirt sponsor of a major English football club.” The country’s aid minister, Sigrid Kaag, has been tasked with looking into the deal and reporting back to the Dutch parliament. Critics of the Rwandan government have also latched on to this news, arguing that the money would be better spent elsewhere .

Since the 1994 genocide, President Paul Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) government has led the country through a remarkable period of economic growth . During 1999-2014, Rwanda’s annual GDP growth was 7.7% and its annual growth in GDP per capita was 5%, making it among the fastest growing African countries during that period. As part of VISION 2020, the Rwandan government has focused on creating a knowledge-based economy, largely driven by growth in the services sector (although manufacturing has featured more prominently recently). Rwanda’s government statistics also claim that poverty has reduced significantly though some scholarship has been cautious about such claims and debates have emerged about the veracity of these statistics. The RPF’s reign has remained controversial – accused of human rights abuses at home and abroad – while also being a ‘ donor darling ’ and popularly seen as a successful country example of African development.

So why has a budding African developmental state sponsored one of the world’s richest (and best) football clubs? Is it simply to please President Kagame (an ardent Arsenal fan who has occasionally been critical of former manager Arsene Wenger)? Or is there some broader strategic reasoning behind it? Sponsoring a football club seems an odd decision for a developing country. But it isn’t exactly rare. Rwanda is far from (being)the only country that has partnered with football teams to attract tourism to its country. Many countries have sponsored football club shirts. For example, Azerbaijan sponsored Atletico Madrid, Malaysia and Puerto Rico have sponsored Sevilla, Qatar sponsored Barcelona and Chad sponsored FC Metz. Emirates and other airlines have also sponsored several football club t-shirts (including Arsenal’s).

Condescending stories in European newspapers (like the Daily Mail ) that directly link aid funding to the shirt sponsorship miss the point. Aid money is not directly used in the deal and most foreign aid that the Rwandan government receives is linked to specific projects rather than budget support. The Chief Executive Officer of the Rwandan Development Board (RDB) Clare Akamanzi clarified this and admonished the condescending tone of such news stories. She also pointed out the reason why the government has invested in the deal: to bolster Rwanda’s tourism sector. The sector has consistently been the highest foreign exchange earner for the country. Rwanda’s service-based development strategy relies on the tourism sector’s continued growth – for foreign exchange, investment and job creation.

The logic behind the deal is to concentrate on a strong-performer sector with the hope that it will generate more resources to be spent elsewhere. The growth of Rwanda’s tourism sector has been nothing short of dramatic and has arguably been the RDB’s greatest success . Foreign exchange receipts from the sector have been growing at around 30% annually and are targeted to reach $800 million by 2024. In 2016, they amounted to over $400 million in 2016 (more than double the amount that was received in 2010). As of 2015, the tourism sector reportedly provided 7.3% of direct formal employment in the country. Rwanda is one of the few countries where mountain gorillas can be visited and hosts more than a quarter of them. In the 1970s and 1980s, Dian Fossey studied these gorillas and a Hollywood movie – Gorillas in the Mist – was made about her experiences in the Virunga mountains (that hosts the gorillas) in 1987. Yet the previous government failed to take advantage of the publicity and tourism barely grew.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, the Rwandan government began focusing on reviving the tourism sector and ‘going beyond gorillas’ by focusing on developing other tourism sites including national parks such as Akagera and Nyungwe Forest. The government has also prioritized making Rwanda a global MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) destination and a business hub. The Kigali Convention Centre finally opened in 2016. Rwanda quickly generated conference tourism and in 2017, 169 international meetings were hosted there. To attract more tourism and as part of a vision to make Kigali a hub of various kinds (transport, business and finance), Rwandair (the national airline) has rapidly expanded its fleet and flies to over 20 international destinations including London.

Though the tourism sector has grown rapidly, it is unclear whether services sectors (and tourism specifically) can provide the same benefits that manufacturing has done historically. Despite expressing reservations about services-based growth, Dani Rodrik has suggested that it may be a new emerging trajectory of late development in African countries but it may not provide the same benefits that manufacturing-led development did. Contrastingly, Jagdish Bhagwati argues that India’s experience shows that services can be an alternative to manufacturing since services have become increasingly tradable. Ha-Joon Chang argues against such views and emphasizes that the most dynamic elements of the services sector actually depend on manufacturing. Emphasising the interdependencies and the possibilities of linkages between manufacturing and service sectors is more useful for policymakers than thinking in sharply-distinct manufacturing and services blocks. With the growth of the tourism sector in Rwanda, there are opportunities to supply goods and services, strengthening domestic value chains. Yet the Rwandan government has not done enough to support its local agriculture and industry stakeholders or link them to evolving demand patterns associated with tourism growth.

The Rwandan government has been successful in building a global reputation for the country as a tourism destination. It has also attracted global hotel brands like the Marriott and Radisson to bolster its image. But a boom in hotel construction of mid-range hotels has led to hundreds of them being put up for auction with owners unable to repay loans. Rwanda’s tourism gamble is built on supply-side logic: once the hotels are built, tourism will come. Similarly, Rwandair’s rapid expansion has continued undeterred by the fact that the airline has never made a profit and the government’s public debt has increased (though it is ‘comfortable’ , according to the IMF).

Despite these challenges, for the determined Rwandan government, investments in tourism must continue. Rwanda’s key exports are primary commodities, vulnerable to fluctuations in global commodity prices. The manufacturing sector has been prioritized recently but benefits aren’t visible as yet. Tourism, meanwhile, has been a consistent and reliable source of foreign exchange. Yet the success of the sector depends on a positive global reputation and the Rwandan government is regularly criticized in the foreign press. International press has already highlighted that the deal grants the Rwandan government with access to hospitality boxes, matchday tickets and access to star players for promotional work, pointedly implying a personalistic element to the sleeve-sponsorship deal.

It will be difficult to actually measure the benefits of the ‘Visit Rwanda’-Arsenal partnership but there is no doubt that it will increase visibility for the country. Football clubs shouldn’t be too worried about such criticisms. They’ve partnered with controversial individuals and governments before. Arsenal may be more worried about sending conflicting messages to its fans though. Emirates doesn’t fly to Rwanda although a competitor (Rwandair) does.

Dr. Pritish Behuria is a Hallsworth Research Fellow in Political Economy at The Global Development Institute in the University of Manchester. He has been conducting regular fieldwork in Rwanda on the political economy of the country since 2011. His work on Rwanda has been published in New Political Economy , The Journal of Modern African Studies , The Review of African Political Economy and The Journal of Eastern African Studies

This blog was originally published on Global Development Institute, University of Manchester website.

2 thoughts on “ Rwanda and Arsenal: Why a budding developmental state is sponsoring a football team ”

Rwanda-Arsenal relations will go a long way in promoting tourism in the country and also increase its visitbility to the global platform. I feel this is a good development for tourism and the conservation of mountain gorillas which bring the biggest percentage opf Rwanda’s tourism earnings. Speedway Safaris ( https://www.speedwaysafaris.com ) or AAB Tours and Travel ( https://www.aabtoursandtravel.com ) are looking to enhancing their tourism services in rwanda and Uganda as both countries expetct the numbers to surge in the coming years.

Gorilla tourism is among the major sources of tourism earnings for Uganda and Rwanda. Rwanda marketing through sports will boost its tourism greatly. Uganda will also benefit alot since visitors in Rwanda usually do safaris and tours in Uganda since the country has alot to offer over Rwanda. Uganda has 10 national parks and several wildlife reserves, beautiful mountains like Rwenzori Mountains National Park ( https://www.rwenzorimountainsnationalpark.com ) plus lakes and rivers which offer amazing holiday experiences. Visit Uganda today – https://www.gorillasinuganda.com for gorilla tours and adventure safaris. You may go through Kigali or Entebbe.

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How #VisitRwanda campaign successfully promotes Rwanda's unique attractions

Gabriel Ajala

July 12, 2023

During a recent press conference with local, regional and international media, President Paul Kagame noted that through the 'Visit Rwanda' campaign, the country entered into a partnership with the English Football Club, Arsenal, as we as France's Paris Saint-Germain. He added that these partnerships have returned impressive dividends. President Kagame also disclosed that Rwanda could soon partner with a major football club. This deal shall be the third after Arsenal & PSG.

Through this campaign, investors from across the globe opt to invest in the country which is a positive sign of the continued investor confidence in Rwanda by both local and foreign investors. Figures released by the Rwanda Development Board indicate that the country registered investments worth US$3.7billion in 2021, up from US$1.3billion in 2020, as these investments were driven by strategic investment projects.

This campaign has been successful in promoting Rwanda's unique attractions, such as mountain gorillas, stunning natural scenery, and cultural heritage. Visiting Rwanda provides a great opportunity to explore the country's natural beauty in all corners of the country.

The CEO of Rwanda Development Board, Clare Akamanzi discloses that Rwanda's partnership with Arsenal and Paris Saint Germain generated over US$160million in 2022 in media value. This, in turn, helped generate US$445million in tourism revenues courtesy of the over one million visitors to Rwanda in 2022. This revenue represented a 90% recovery to pre-pandemic levels, as compared to a global average of 65% recovery according to the World Tourism Organisation.

Rwanda's tourism industry has been growing rapidly and the 'Visit Rwanda' campaign has played a key role in promoting the country as a world-class tourism destination. In various matches of Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, which are followed by millions of fans from across the globe, the 'Visit Rwanda' brand is visible clearly on the sleeves of the players' jerseys and other club officials. In addition, the brand can be seen on various screens across the stadiums and in the TV advertisements.

'Visit Rwanda' has been successful on various digital media platforms in generating interest among net citizens. They regularly share millions of posts that trend with #VisitRwanda's hashtag which can clearly be tracked on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accompanied by their feelings about Rwanda.

These posts with stunning images and videos of Rwanda's epic scenery are shared by people from all walks of life with their inner feelings.

Several international celebrities have visited Rwanda to explore the country's natural beauty. These stars also raise awareness about Rwanda's unique tourism offerings. A good number of them have opted to support the country's conservation efforts, which is a positive sign that the world is recognising Rwanda's efforts in wildlife conservation and environmental protection.

Tourism in Rwanda has been growing rapidly and the country has become a popular destination for travellers from around the world. One of the main attractions for tourists in Rwanda is gorilla trekking. During these visits, tourists got an opportunity to see these magnificent creatures up close in the Volcanoes National Park. Tourism in Rwanda offers visitors a unique combination of wildlife, culture, history, and natural beauty and supports the growth of Rwanda's economy through job creation for various players in this sector.

Rwanda introduced Kwita Izina, an annual Rwandan ceremony of giving a name to a newborn baby gorilla, that takes place at the base of Volcanoes National Park. This particular event celebrates and raises awareness of the country's conservation efforts related to mountain gorillas. Hundreds of celebrities from across the globe participate in Kwita Izina so that they can experience Rwanda's conservation efforts which promote sustainable tourism. Participants get an opportunity to visit the gorillas.

Leading Destination for International Events.

Rwanda's Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) strategy is aimed at promoting the country as a premier destination for hosting global events, conferences, and meetings. The strategy is focused on developing all necessary infrastructure, policies, and frameworks so that the country can host larger international events.

Very recently, Rwanda successfully hosted several major events including the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in June 2022. This was historic. It was the first time the country hosted CHOGM, a gathering of leaders from Commonwealth member countries.

Other significant events that Rwanda hosted in recent years include the African Union Summit in 2018, the Transform Africa Summit, and the World Economic Forum on Africa. These events brought together leaders, policymakers, business executives, and other stakeholders from across the globe to discuss important subjects and opportunities in various sectors.

Similarly, Rwanda has been leveraging its MICE strategy to promote sports tourism. The country invested in modern sports facilities such as the Kigali Arena, a world-class indoor arena that accommodates up to 10,000 spectators. The arena hosted major basketball events including the 2021 Basketball Africa League (BAL) inaugural season, which was the first-ever NBA-backed professional basketball league in Africa.

In football, Amahoro National Stadium, a multi-purpose stadium is now under renovation to improve its facilities and seating capacity. In March 2023, the 73rd congress of the world football governing body (FIFA) was held in Rwanda and brought together over 2,000 delegates including all 211 FIFA members.

The Visit Rwanda campaign and the MICE strategy contribute to the successful hosting of events that help position Rwanda as the premier destination for hosting large international events. They have so far contributed to the country's economic development by boosting its tourism industry and creating opportunities for local businesses. The Visit Rwanda brand positions the country as the leading tourism hub. The country has, over the last few years, carved a niche for itself as a favourite destination for global events.

Magnifique Migisha , the writer of this article is a digital strategist | Twitter: @ Migisha

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