Rwanda has significantly expanded its sports tourism ambitions after signing a landmark sponsorship agreement with English Premier League side Aston Villa, becoming the club's principal partner in what Villa says is the biggest commercial deal in its history.
Under the agreement, the "Visit Rwanda" brand will appear on the front of the shirts worn by Aston Villa's men's, women's and academy teams, marking a major upgrade from Rwanda's previous strategy of sponsoring shirt sleeves at leading European clubs.
The East African nation has, in recent years, partnered with several elite football clubs, including Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid, using the "Visit Rwanda" campaign to promote tourism, investment and international visibility.
Announcing the partnership, Aston Villa said Visit Rwanda would also become the club's official tourism partner and official coffee provider.
Beyond branding, the two parties said they would collaborate on initiatives focused on football development, coaching, charitable programmes, leadership and professional development, while promoting Rwanda as a destination for tourism, investment, business and major events.
Aston Villa President of Business Operations Francesco Calvo described the partnership as a milestone for the club.
"This is a very exciting partnership for Aston Villa Football Club and a symbol of the club's continuing expansion and growth into international markets," Calvo said.
"There is a great range and depth of opportunities for collaboration, learning and innovation and we are looking forward to working with Visit Rwanda to deliver meaningful activations through tourism, investment and sporting development."
Janet Karemera, Chief Executive of the Rwanda Convention Bureau, said the agreement reflects Rwanda's ambition to reach global audiences through one of the world's most influential sporting platforms.
"This sponsorship is a powerful expression of Rwanda's ambition to engage global audiences through one of the world's most influential platforms and position our country as a destination to visit, invest and do business," Karemera said.
She said the partnership builds on eight years of promoting Rwanda in the United Kingdom, one of the country's key tourism source markets, and is expected to expand the country's reach across Europe and beyond.
The agreement comes as Arsenal confirmed that its eight-year sponsorship deal with Visit Rwanda will end by mutual agreement at the conclusion of the 2025–26 season.
The sleeve sponsorship, which began in 2018 and was reportedly worth more than $13 million annually, had increasingly attracted criticism amid allegations by the Democratic Republic of Congo that Rwanda supports the M23 rebel group operating in eastern Congo.
Rwanda has consistently denied backing the rebels.
Campaign groups, including Gunners for Peace, staged protests urging Arsenal to terminate the partnership, arguing that it conflicted with the club's values.
However, Arsenal said the agreement had successfully achieved its original objectives of promoting conservation, sustainable tourism and Rwanda's ambition to become a leading sporting destination in Africa.
Despite the end of the Arsenal partnership, Visit Rwanda maintains a strong presence in international sport through sponsorship agreements with Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid.
The brand has also expanded into the United States through partnerships with the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers.
The latest Aston Villa agreement further strengthens Rwanda's strategy of using global sport as a platform to market itself as a destination for tourism, investment and international business while supporting the development of football and other sporting initiatives at home.
