Rwanda's partnership with Bayern Munich targeting football development and tourism

Rwanda announced a partnership with Bayern Munich worth five years|RDB Image

FOOTBALL Rwanda's partnership with Bayern Munich targeting football development and tourism

Allan Damba • 16:19 - 28.08.2023

As part of this partnership, the "Visit Rwanda" logo will appear on the illuminated panels around the pitch at the Allianz Arena (75,000 seats), according to a press release from the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the government body responsible for promoting the country.

Rwanda has signed a five-year partnership with German football kingpins Bayern Munich to promote tourism in the East African country and set up a football academy.

The Rwandan government wants to extend its visibility to a new European football league after England, where it partners with London club Arsenal, and France, where it partners with Paris Saint-Germain.

As part of this partnership, the "Visit Rwanda" logo will appear on the illuminated panels around the pitch at the Allianz Arena (75,000 seats), according to a press release from the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the government body responsible for promoting the country.

The club, which won its eleventh Bundesliga title in succession last season and is a six-time winner of the UEFA Champions League, has also undertaken to set up a football academy in Rwanda.

The amount of the partnership is "contractually confidential," RDB Manager Clare Akamanzi was quoted AFP.

Bayern and Rwanda are into a partnership|COURTESY

"We are delighted to be partnering with FC Bayern to support the development of football for boys and girls in Rwanda," said Aurore Mimosa Munyangaju, the Minister of Sport, on Sunday.

"We are looking forward to creating the FC Bayern Academy, where their expert coaches will be able to share their knowledge of the game with local coaches and players."

"Africa is a continent of opportunities. For FC Bayern, it is the next important step in our internationalisation," said Bayern Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen.

For the past five years, the Rwandan government has been investing heavily in the sporting sphere to attract tourists and investors and raise the country's international profile, whose history is marked by the 1994 genocide.

Rwanda partnered with Arsenal in 2018 then with PSG the following year. It has also embarked on organising international sporting events, such as the World Road Cycling Championships in 2025, and in March, hosted the 73rd Congress of the International Football Federation (FIFA).

Partnerships with Arsenal and PSG have generated more than $160 million (€148 million) and attracted a million visitors, generating an additional $445 million (€412 million), according to Akamanzi in March.

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