The English football club Arsenal is set to build three football pitches in Rwanda.
Arsenal, the English Premier League champions, are set to build three football pitches in Rwanda, as part of a historic eight-year partnership between the club and Rwanda to promote Visit Rwanda.
It is reported that this Arsenal project will cost 250 thousand dollars, which is approximately 368.5 million Rwandan francs.
The news was announced this week by Rwandan Sports Minister Nelly Mukazayire, who said the project is part of Rwanda's policy to build more sports infrastructure and develop young talents through Rwanda's collaboration with some of the international sports bodies and teams playing various sports.
"Although the partnership between Rwanda and Arsenal has ended, they are going to build three football pitches in the country. We are currently assessing the areas that need these pitches most. This is a great opportunity for us," She said.
Although Minister Nelly Mukazayire did not disclose other benefits that could come from Rwanda's collaboration with other teams to promote Visit Rwanda, it is expected that in building sports infrastructure in Rwanda, the Atlético de Madrid team, which plays in the first division of Spanish football, and the Los Angeles Clippers team, which currently plays in the NBA basketball competition in the United States of America, will both be involved.
According to the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the partnership between Rwanda and Arsenal has helped Rwanda gain international recognition through various activities including the annual Rwanda Heritage Day held at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, and several visits by former Arsenal players and club ambassadors.
Former England international Alex Scott was the first Arsenal Ambassador to visit Rwanda after the launch of the partnership. She was followed by some of the club's current and former players, including Brazilian internationals David Luiz and Gilberto Silva, the former French international Robert Pirès and the Dutch international Jurriën Timber.
Through the partnership between Rwanda and Arsenal, the Visit Rwanda program was promoted in various ways, including advertising Visit Rwanda through billboards placed at Arsenal's home games, advertising in the interview and press conference area, on digital platforms, and at the Emirates Stadium itself, which is visited by over 250,000 people each year.
The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) indicates that the tourism sector in Rwanda has improved significantly since the beginning of the partnership between Rwanda and Arsenal, as its revenue increased by 47 percent during the period of the partnership.
Figures for 2024 published by RDB show that over 1.3 million people visited Rwanda, while the tourism sector generated over $650 million, or approximately 941 billion Rwandan francs.
