The giant screens which use LED Large Screen Display Board Technology were launched during the African Youth Championship, a U-20 continental football competition which was held in Kigali, Rwanda from January 18-February 1, 2009.

The screens have already stirred excitement among football fans and have been used to transmit streaming video and TV live feeds of the action during major public functions like sporting and musical events at the two stadiums.

They have also been used to relay branding advertisements and promotions for the public and private sector to market different products and services to the general public especially during intervals and breaks.

The screens installed at Amahoro and Nyamirambo stadium cover a width of 14metres and a height of 8.5metres, making it possible for viewers to watch from far distances.

The smaller screen at Petit Stadium which is normally used for basketball, volleyball matches as well as broadcasting European UEFA matches is 7metres in width and 2.8m length.

The technology has gained support from soccer fans who enjoy watching high quality live feed from different cameras placed in the different spots of the stadium and are able to watch flashbacks of the action, team line-ups and substitutions as the games goes on.

Bosco Harelimana, a Rayon Sport club fan said recently: "The screen helps to bring the game nearer to me. So I don’t have to keep changing positions to get a better view of the game. I have to look straight to the screen and keep my attention to the match”.

Rwanda is the third African country to have extra-large screens installed on its stadiums. The other African countries which already have the same technology are Egypt and South Africa.

In Kigali, Ali Nyandwi is the person behind the functioning of the screen says he enjoys operating the giant screen.
"It’s enjoyable work, I like more than anything. During the course of the match or a concert I like mixing and playing around with the camera, taking different spots of the fans and the match itself.

In a live music concert, it’s not so good because of the limelight which destroys the appearance of the image because of its different colours”, Nyandwi said.

Nyandwi further added he makes use of two cameras located at different locations on the stadium to effectively bring the images to the public.

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