RWANDA
Rwanda defends multimillion-dollar deal to sponsor Arsenal
Kigali — Rwanda has defended its multimillion-dollar deal to sponsor the Arsenal football team, telling politicians from European donor countries that it was "none of their business". Britain’s Mail on Sunday said Rwanda paid the London club £30m to have Arsenal players wear the "Visit Rwanda" tourist board logo on one sleeve. Some politicians in Britain and the Netherlands criticised the decision to sponsor President Paul Kagame’s favourite soccer team by a nation that received more than $1bn in foreign aid in 2016, according to the World Bank. But Rwanda’s foreign minister said the money came from tourism income, not aid, and hit back at European legislators. "It’s none of their business," Olivier Nduhungirehe said. Tourism is the biggest foreign exchange earner in Rwanda, and Nduhungirehe said he hoped revenues from the sector would double from $400m in 2017 to $800m by 2024. UN figures show that more than 60% of the country’s 12-million people live under the poverty line. Arsena...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.