‘Wasted money’: Rwanda splurges on sports despite criticism

Rwandan President Paul Kagame addresses the media in Rwandan capital Kigali June 8, 2004. Kagame said he was opposed to foreign intervention in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, where recent fighting has raised fears of a renewed war in central Africa. There are no plans to deploy a European Union military force in war-torn eastern Congo but European nations are being asked to consider sending monitors if a ceasefire can be agreed, diplomats said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Finbarr O’Reilly FOR/RSS/ACM

First, it was a multi-million dollar sponsorship of English Premier League club Arsenal in 2018, followed by a splashy deal to back French giants Paris Saint-Germain a year later.

Now, a “famous” third club is on the cards for Rwanda, according to President Paul Kagame, who has spent a small fortune on sports investments that he says will burnish the international image and diversify the economy of the tiny central African country.

But the splurge, which includes club sponsorships and hosting duties for events ranging from 2021’s Basketball Africa league tournament to cycling’s Road World Championships in 2025, has drawn accusations of “sports-washing”, or using sports to hide the country’s grim human rights record.

Campaigners accuse Kagame of crushing political dissent and stifling free speech during his more than 22 years in power.

“These investments do not meet the immediate needs of the vast majority of Rwandans,” said opposition politician Victoire Ingabire, a fierce critic of Kagame.

“I don’t believe there is return for his investments,” she told AFP, saying that the sponsorships did little to help rural Rwandans.

“It is wasted money.”

The impoverished country, where per capita income is estimated at just $822 according to