Rwanda needs more multi-purpose facilities that would provide additional opportunities for the country’s sports and entertainment industry, experts have said.
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The call was made on Saturday, February 3, in Washington as Rwandans, as well as friends of Rwanda, courted in Washington DC for the eleventh edition of the Rwanda Day.
President Paul Kagame alongside First Lady Jeannette Kagame graced the ceremony, which had not happened in the last four years.
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In Washington DC, over 6,000 participants came together to reflect on Rwanda’s development and different avenues through which they can make contributions.
One of the sessions held during the discussions was the economic development through sports and entertainment, where panelists called for more "state-of-art” facilities such as the BK Arena and the Kigali Convention Center, both of which facilities were described as an economic driver for the country.
"I discovered the power of sports and music with Heineken and Coca-Cola. These two multinationals have understood quite early that the best way to connect with consumers is through sponsorships of music and sports,” reacted Eugene Ubalijoro, Regional Vice President at Molson Coors, a major Canadian-American multinational drink and brewing company.
He added; "But for these sponsorship deals to be meaningful, you need to have facilities.”
Sharing the example of Texas Live and the Sphere in Las Vegas, Ubalijoro said that investors are moving to redefine what entertainment standards should be.
‘These two examples illustrate how sports arenas and entertainment stadiums can create an ecosystem. They pave the way for new businesses, new employment, new investment opportunities and have shown how they can be a strong economic multiplier.”
"If you look at Rwanda, there is a growing middle class with consumers who have evolving consumer needs and habits. The Rwandan leadership has been intentional in anticipating these trends and investing ahead of the curve.”
"Facilities like the BK Arena, the conference centers, and the hotels not only create value today but also in the next 50 years.”
"These facilities are driving the economic development and they create the brand that is Rwanda,” he added.
Ubalijoro shared similar sentiments with Clare Akamanzi, NBA Africa CEO who argued that the sports industry as well as the entertainment industry are a major source of employment and job creation.
"In the previous year, Rwanda generated over $91 million in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) and 15 percent was from hosting sports events.”
"When a country invests in a very bold way, it opens opportunities that you never have thought and it is the people that benefit.” "The power of a sports economy, the facilities and the opportunities it creates, and I think in Rwanda, just like the rest of the world, we continue to see that first hand.”
Akamanzi, former Chief Executive of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) went on to add; "It is also about the jobs and the opportunities for local communities.”
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Celebrated singer and songwriter Bruce Melodie praised President Kagame "for his visionary leadership” that has seen the entertainment industry in Rwanda grow to higher scenes.
The "saa moya” crooner attributed his latest collabo with global dancehall and reggae icon Shaggy to the investments that are being put in the sports and music industry.
Melodie, who is also a co-owner of the United Generation Basketball (UGB) club, revealed that he is now working with arguably one of the biggest record labels in the United States- S-Curve Records.
"Back in the day, people hardly noticed us as artists from Rwanda, but just recently I had a sold-out show here in the US during my tour.”
"We love to bring smiles and entertain people and if it was not for such facilities, it would not have been possible.”