The 5th edition of the CIMERWA golf tournament dubbed "CIMEGOLF” is set to attract over 250 players to Kigali’s sprawling 18-hole Kigali golf course for a shot at the different prizes that will be awarded to outstanding golfers on Saturday, December 3.
The annual golf tournament is held under the theme ‘more than just the game’, with the aim of strengthening sports tourism in Rwanda.
Over the past five years, CIMEGOLF has grown to become the biggest golfing event in Rwanda and a favorite for many golfers.
The tournament has provided players both new and seasoned with a great platform to hone their skills and fans to enjoy the tournament.
Speaking during a press conference at Kigali Golf Resorts & Villas, on Tuesday, CIMERWA Head of Sales and Marketing, Mark Mugarura said: "Our goal is to grow CIMEGOLF and make it a significant part of the golfing calendar in the region.
Rwanda is shaping up to be the next hub for sports tourism in the region and we are proud to be contributing towards this vision and Strengthening Rwanda at large.”
This year’s edition of the CIMEGOLF tournament is composed of four legs.
The first three were played in September, October, and November with winners being crowned at the end of each leg and golfers accumulating points to qualify for the finale.
This new game format has made the tournament more competitive and challenging but also more interesting for golfers, he said.
As 2022 Rwanda Tourism Week is celebrated, he noted: "Golf is one of the sports in Rwanda that are at the forefront of positioning itself as a sports tourism destination. That means a lot. There is a lot of investment behind that and we are very proud to be part of that journey. Our commitment to the growth of golf in Rwanda will continue to grow.”
This edition promises a ‘more than just the game’ experience as it will be a great opportunity to network with CIMERWA customers and stakeholders who will be in attendance.
Golfers teeing off on Saturday will be vying for the number one spot and outstanding golfers in every handicap category will be awarded alongside CIMERWA’s best-performing customers during the gala dinner that will be held at the course later in the evening.
‘We wanted to make this fifth edition bigger and better, in the gala ceremony we will be awarding outstanding golfers and CIMERWA’s best-performing customers as well.
Merging both events will provide the perfect networking opportunity for two sets of stakeholders who are very important to us as a business,” Mugarura explained.
The awarding ceremony will be broadcast on Rwanda Television and social media platforms.
Rizah Mugabe, Head Supply Chain at CIMERWA said that more than 250 players expected will include 100 foreigners.
She encouraged more women to participate in the golf tournament.
"This year, we have seen a significant growth in the participation of the ladies in a golf tournament with around 70 ladies participating in the game,” she said.
Andrew Kulayige, the Kigali Golf Club Captain said that in the past three years, the number of members has increased to 450 members from less than 150 members thanks to partners such as CIMERWA which organizes tournament every year.
"We appreciate our partners of the past five years. Without partners like CIMERWA, there is no way to be able to achieve this at this level,” he said.
Jack Bryan, The General Manager of Kigali Golf Resort and Villas said that with the partnership with CIMERWA, the number of professional golfers has increased.
"We manage golfers around the world and we are excited about competitions like CIMEGOLF,” he said, adding that it attracted more golfers including foreigners.
Established in 1984, CIMERWA Plc has over three decades worth of experience as Rwanda’s first cement manufacturer.
The firm’s production plant is located in Bugarama, Rusizi District.
CIMERWA is the only manufacturing company in Rwanda with IMS ISO certification, an Integrated Management System (IMS) that merges the three ISO standards into one system, Quality Management (ISO 9001), Environmental Management (ISO 14001), and Occupational Health & Safety Management (ISO 45001) systems.