German football club Bayern Munich today announced a five-year football development and tourism promotion partnership with Rwanda.
The partnership, unveiled during FC Bayern’s first home game of the season, will see the club work specifically with Rwanda’s Ministry of Sports to set up a football academy to strengthen the development of football in the country.
In addition, the club will display Visit Rwanda branding on matchday LED boards at the club’s 75,000-seater Allianz Arena and different activities will be organised to promote tourism and investment opportunities in Rwanda.
Jan-Christian Dreesen, FC Bayern Chief Executive Officer, said: “I am very pleased with this collaboration agreed upon until the summer of 2028. FC Bayern can become active on the African continent and gather important experiences. The new platinum partnership is aligned with long-term goals. We will promote ‘Visit Rwanda’ and help Rwanda grow in sports with projects for youth football. These are challenging and responsible tasks. Africa is a continent of opportunities. For FC Bayern, this is the next important step in internationalisation.”
Andreas Jung, FC Bayern Executive Board Member Marketing, said: “I am looking forward to this new, very exciting collaboration. We will support the Rwandan Ministry of Sports in developing youth football programs, including our FC Bayern Youth Cup. We want to spread ‘Visit Rwanda’ as a tourism destination, and we also welcome the new partner to our business network.”
Aurore Mimosa Munyangaju, Rwanda Minister of Sports, said: “We’re thrilled to partner with FC Bayern to support the development of youth football for boys and girls in Rwanda. We look forward to setting up the FC Bayern Academy where their expert coaches will share knowledge of the game with local coaches and players. The potential is there for Rwandans to excel in football and this partnership provides a great platform for Rwanda to strive for excellence in sports.”
Clare Akamanzi, CEO of the Rwanda Development Board, said: “The Rwanda Development Board is pleased to welcome yet another strategic partner in FC Bayern Munich. It’s been five outstanding years since the Government of Rwanda announced the Visit Rwanda campaign and adding FC Bayern as another additional partner allows us to reach out to its millions of fans across the globe and tell them to visit Rwanda. Germany is among Rwanda’s top five tourism source markets and we aim to use this partnership to attract more tourists to Rwanda, showcase investment and business opportunities and encourage all to stay in Rwanda.”
Germany has good relations with Rwanda. For instance, Rhineland-Palatinate has maintained a partnership with Rwanda for 40 years. The Goethe Institute and Friedrich Ebert Foundation have offices in Kigali. The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is engaging with Rwanda in the fields of climate, energy, internal and external peace, education, and employment. A “German Desk” in the capital city of Kigali is intended to support investments. Volkswagen and BioNTech are already in the market.
About Rwanda:
Rwanda’s unique landscapes have earned it the name ‘the Land of a Thousand Hills’. Over the past two decades, the country has experienced political and social stability supported by strong economic growth. Rwanda is recognised for the quality of its governance, a commitment to sustainability and the important role played by women in the life of the nation.
Rwanda recognises sports as one of the pillars of social transformation and development. The country is promoting sports in all corners of society unbiased to gender, age, or physical capacity. Rwanda’s most popular sport is football, which is played in all corners of the country. Basketball, cycling and volleyball continue to grow in popularity.
About FC Bayern:
FC Bayern Munich is the largest sports club in the world and one of the most successful soccer clubs in Europe. Founded on 27 February 1900, FC Bayern now has around 300,000 members and over 150 million followers on social networks. With 33 German championships, the club is the German record champion, with 20 successes in the DFB Cup German record cup winner. Internationally, FC Bayern has won the Champions League 6 times, as well as the FIFA Club World Cup and the World Cup 2 times each, among others. The club’s women’s soccer team and basketball team are also among the top teams nationally and internationally. Over the decades, FC Bayern has succeeded in combining sporting and economic success. The club is now represented internationally with its own offices in New York City, Shanghai and Bangkok. The club headquarters and training grounds are located on Säbener Strasse in Munich. The club also operates its own youth training center. FC Bayern plays its home games in the club’s own Allianz Arena (75,000 spectators).