In recent years, Rwanda has rapidly transformed from an emerging market into a global sports tourism hotspot, hosting an array of high-profile events that span basketball, cycling, cricket, and more. From the electrifying Giants of Africa Festival to the grueling Tour du Rwanda and the historic hosting of the UCI Road World Championships, Kigali and its surrounding venues have become synonymous with world-class competition and cultural celebration. This surge is backed by strategic investments in infrastructure—from the Kigali Convention Centre to the cutting-edge Zaria Court—and by the expansion of national carrier RwandAir alongside the forthcoming Bugesera International Airport. As Rwanda positions itself on the international stage, voices such as Masai Ujiri and Janet Karemera underscore the nation’s vision of empowering African youth through the unifying power of sport and culture.
Key Events
Giants of Africa Festival 2025
The Giants of Africa Festival returned to Kigali from July 26 to August 2, 2025, uniting 320 young men and women from 20 African nations in a week of basketball, education, culture, and entertainment. Co-founded by NBA executive Masai Ujiri, the festival blends rigorous basketball coaching—led by NBA, WNBA, and community coaches—with life-skills workshops and cultural showcases. Performances by international stars such as Grammy-nominated Ayra Starr, amapiano sensation Uncle Waffles, and Rwandan choreographer Sherrie Silver punctuated the Opening Show, while closing acts featured Kizz Daniel and Timaya exploding the stage with Afrobeat and Afro-soca rhythms. Beyond sport, the festival’s keynote International Youth Day Forum engaged 2,000 Rwandan youth in discussions on leadership and empowerment, demonstrating its commitment to catalyzing change across the continent.
Tour du Rwanda 2025
Held annually since 2009, the Tour du Rwanda has emerged as Africa’s premier road cycling race. The 17th edition in February–March 2025 featured a 3.4 km prologue inside Kigali’s Amahoro Stadium, drawing 45,000 spectators to witness riders tackle the “land of a thousand hills” terrain. Over seven stages and 839.9 km, competitors from elite UCI ProTeams such as Israel–Premier Tech and TotalEnergies vied for the yellow jersey, while national squads from Rwanda, Eritrea, and South Africa showcased local talent. The final stage traced the 2025 World Championship route, challenging riders on Mont Kigali’s 5.9 km ascent at 6% gradient before concluding at the Kigali Convention Centre. This alignment underscores Rwanda’s strategic drive to leverage annual events in preparation for global competitions.
2025 UCI Road World Championships
For the first time in its 103-year history, the UCI Road World Championships will take place on African soil, with Kigali hosting Junior, Under-23, and Elite races from September 21–28, 2025. Aptly billed as the “hardest ever” course with 5,475 m of elevation gain over 267.5 km for the Men’s Elite Road Race, the event marks another step in cycling’s globalization and carries special significance for emerging African riders. Top professionals, including two-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar, are expected to compete along the winding hills and cobblestone sections of the city’s local circuits—a testament to Rwanda’s growing reputation as a challenging and prestigious racing venue.
Infrastructure Development
Kigali Convention Centre
Since its inauguration in 2016, the Kigali Convention Centre has anchored Rwanda’s Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) industry. With 18 configurable venues accommodating over 5,000 delegates, state-of-the-art technology, and the adjoining Radisson Blu Hotel, the complex has hosted events such as the 73rd FIFA Congress and International Water Congress. As CEO Janet Karemera notes, the Convention Bureau’s partnerships with RCB and the Rwanda Development Board have transformed Kigali into the “second most preferred city in Africa for association meetings”, driving over USD 95 million in MICE revenues in 2023 alone.
Gahanga Cricket Stadium
Dubbed the “Lord’s of East Africa,” Gahanga Cricket Stadium opened in 2017 as Rwanda’s first ICC-standard cricket ground. Its iconic three-vaulted pavilion—built from locally sourced tiles and crafted by social protection labour programs—reflects both engineering ingenuity and community investment. Hosting the ICC T20 World Cup East Africa Qualifiers and record-setting international matches, Gahanga has become a hub for cricket legends, including Herschelle Gibbs and Sam Billings, while supporting grassroots coaching and HIV testing initiatives run by Cricket Builds Hope (CBH).
BK Arena (formerly Kigali Arena)
The BK Arena, East Africa’s largest covered indoor venue with a 10,000-seat capacity, was completed in just six months in 2019. Constructed by Turkey’s Summa in partnership with the Rwanda Housing Authority, it has hosted the Basketball Africa League (BAL) inaugural season, AfroBasket 2021, and FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. Beyond sports, BK Arena accommodates concerts, trade shows, and the upcoming Women Deliver Conference, embodying Rwanda’s vision of multi-use cultural infrastructure.
Zaria Court Kigali
Unveiled on July 28, 2025, Zaria Court is a $26 million mixed-use complex co-founded by Masai Ujiri and Helios Sports and Entertainment Group. Strategically located between BK Arena and Amahoro Stadium, the project repurposes a historic modernist structure—once the UN’s 1994 Genocide headquarters—into an 80-room boutique hotel, event spaces, sports courts, retail modules crafted from shipping containers, and a vibrant public park. As President Kagame observed, Zaria Court “is where African excellence thrives” and provides a scalable model for future sites across the continent.
Bugesera International Airport & RwandAir Expansion
To support the surge in sports tourism, Rwanda committed USD 500 million to complete Bugesera International Airport and expand national carrier RwandAir between 2025 and 2028. Phase I is slated to open by 2027 with a 1.7 million passenger capacity, scaling to 14 million annually in later stages and aiming for Green Mark certification as an eco-friendly hub. Concurrently, RwandAir plans new direct routes to Mombasa and Zanzibar, streamlining intra-African connectivity and offsetting disruptions from DRC airspace closures.
Expert Opinions
“It is such a pride for me to be here in Rwanda and to see Africans dream big like giants,” Masai Ujiri declared at the Giants of Africa Festival opening, highlighting the mission to “bring out the giant in each African” through sport, education, and cultural exchange. Ujiri’s vision extends to the development of youth infrastructure and community courts, reflecting his belief that “courts create communities, venues create value, and ecosystems create economies.”
Janet Karemera, CEO of the Rwanda Convention Bureau, emphasizes the vital role of sports events in Rwanda’s economic transformation: “In a dynamic business landscape, the MICE sector will further increase its contribution to Rwanda’s economy through innovation and strategic partnerships”. Over 10 years, RCB has facilitated more than 800 international events, positioning Rwanda among Africa’s top three destinations in ICCA rankings, and aims to double revenues within five years under the National Strategy for Transformation II.
Yvonne Makolo underscores aviation’s critical link to sports tourism: “It’s very unfortunate that politics enters aviation, but we are working to be more cost-efficient to offer affordable ticket prices and expand our network to under-tapped destinations”. Her remarks highlight the interplay between aircraft fleet modernization, sustainability measures, and the need for streamlined air routes to bolster Kigali’s role as a continental connector.
Former Sports Minister Esperance Nyirasafari notes that the Amahoro Stadium and BK Arena serve as “economic engines that promote job creation, tourism, and international partnerships,” reinforcing that Rwanda’s sports facilities extend beyond athletic performance to foster culture, business, and national pride.
Transformative Impact
Rwanda’s strategic focus on sports and culture has generated tangible economic and social dividends. According to the Ministry of Sports’ Sports Sector Strategic Plan 2023–2028, the government allocated 7.46% of its sports budget to development projects, aiming to boost GDP contribution, sports tourism, and youth employment through coaching, event management, and sports-related businesses.
In 2023 alone, the MICE sector achieved a 48% increase in revenues, hosting 160 events and welcoming 65,000 delegates, with projected bid-wins for future gatherings expected to yield USD 32 million over coming years. Concurrent capacity-building efforts saw over 30% of RCB staff attain certifications such as International Convention Executives (CICE) and Project Management Professional (PMP), ensuring a skilled workforce to sustain growth.
Grassroots initiatives complement elite competition. Giants of Africa has donated new basketball courts across Rwanda and trained 100 local coaches through its Built Within Initiative, emphasizing community empowerment alongside high-profile events. Similarly, Cricket Builds Hope leverages Gahanga as a base for free coaching, HIV testing, and educational workshops, reinforcing sport’s role in health and social development.
Rwanda’s hosting of benchmark events—from the Basketball Africa League and AfroBasket to the Trophy-laden World Cycling Championships—has elevated national visibility and cultivated local aspirations. Youth surveys at hosted conferences revealed 98% satisfaction with Rwanda as a destination, citing safety, hospitality, and organizational excellence as key drivers for return visits.
Looking Ahead
With the 2025 UCI Road World Championships and Tour du Rwanda primed to showcase cycling’s global elite—featuring the likes of Tadej Pogačar—and the Giants of Africa Festival forging deeper continental ties, Rwanda’s sports calendar is more vibrant than ever. Complemented by Zaria Court’s scalable arena model and the completion of Bugesera International Airport, Kigali is set to become a year-round sports tourism hub.
As Paul Kagame articulated at Zaria Court’s launch, “Sport unites people and has the power to drive growth and inspire progress,” reflecting Rwanda’s holistic vision of economic transformation through cultural and athletic excellence. The synergy between government, private investors, and global partners promises to sustain Rwanda’s ascent, offering a replicable blueprint for African nations seeking to harness sports as both a development catalyst and a source of continental pride.
Rwanda’s journey from the hills of Kigali to the world’s top sporting platforms demonstrates that with strategic infrastructure, visionary leadership, and unwavering commitment to youth empowerment, even the smallest nation can stand tall on the global stage.
