Rwanda Development Board (RDB) announced on 19 November 2025 that the partnership with Arsenal Football Club, known as the Visit Rwanda tourism deal, would not be renewed after it ends in 2026. The contract had been one of the biggest sports-tourism partnerships in Africa, and its end caused many discussions online.
Some people suggested that the deal stopped because Europe did not support it anymore. However, President Paul Kagame spoke clearly about this issue and corrected the misunderstandings.
During a media briefing on Thursday, President Kagame said the decision had nothing to do with Europe’s position. He explained that Rwanda still works with other big European clubs like Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
“These are strong clubs in Europe,” he said. “So the issue was not Europe. And even after the deal ends, I am still an Arsenal fan and will watch matches in the stadium when I have time.”
A Business Deal That Needed Review
President Kagame reminded the media that this partnership had run for eight years. Like all business agreements, it needed regular review to see if both sides were gaining what they expected.
He explained that business contracts can be reviewed every one, two, or three years depending on the agreement.
The President said Rwanda felt that the latest contract terms did not provide enough value compared to the earlier agreements. For that reason, Rwanda did not want to invest more money under the same terms.
On the other side, Arsenal also had conditions that Rwanda could not accept. Each side had different expectations, and they could not reach an agreement.
“There were discussions about renewing the deal,” Kagame said. “But our team and their team could not agree on some points. We asked for certain things, they asked for other things. In the end, we agreed it was better to stop rather than continue without agreement.”
He added that Arsenal advised Rwanda to look for another partner who could meet Rwanda’s expectations.
Political Pressure From DR Congo Mentioned
President Kagame also talked about political pressure related to the deal. He said DR Congo had pushed for years for the Arsenal partnership to end. They even traveled to the UK to try to convince officials to stop the deal.
They also tried to interfere with Rwanda’s partnership with PSG, but this did not succeed. Instead, Rwanda continued to grow new partnerships and later signed with Atletico Madrid.
Kagame explained that once DR Congo realized their pressure was not working, they started making their own deals with other clubs as well.
Rwanda Will Invest in Other Sports Partnerships
Even though the Arsenal deal has ended, President Kagame said Rwanda will use the money wisely by putting it into new partnerships. Rwanda is already part of the NBA Africa ecosystem, and more international sports collaborations are expected in the future.
The Arsenal partnership began in 2018 and brought big results, especially in 2019 when Rwanda’s tourism revenue increased by 17%. It rose from $425 million in 2018 to $498 million in 2019. Because of this success, the contract was extended in 2021.
