Rwanda aims to more than double its Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) annual revenues from $85 million in 2024 to $224 million (approx. Rwf325 billion) by 2028 to further support the country's tourism sector and development, according to officials. The update was shared on October 18, 2025, during the Rwanda–Senegal Sports Tourism Forum in Kigali, which brought together leaders from both countries to explore how sports and tourism can drive sustainable economic growth and investment. ALSO READ: Senegal President roots for Rwandan cooperation in youth olympics Rwanda’s MICE growth Jean-Guy Afrika, CEO of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), said MICE, a key segment of business tourism, is rapidly expanding in Rwanda. “MICE, which encompasses all events and conferences, is a segment that is developing very quickly in Rwanda,” Afrika said. According to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) 2024 rankings, Kigali is the second most popular city in Africa for hosting international meetings and events, behind Cape Town, South Africa. ALSO READ: Kigali ranked Africa’s second most popular destination for meetings Highlighting Rwanda’s progress in terms of MICE revenues, Afrika said that they increased from $37 million in 2015 to $65 million in 2019, and $85 million in 2024, adding that the country hosted 160 events and 52,000 delegates in 2024. RDB projects $130 million in MICE revenues in 2025; $156 million in 2026, and $187 million in 2027. ALSO READ: How Rwanda plans to make $1 billion in tourism revenues Afrika explained that the Rwanda Convention Bureau, an RDB subsidiary, plays a central role in managing large conferences, whose coordination involves multiple state institutions from security to immigration requiring significant logistics and planning. He added that Rwanda’s MICE strategy and development in general, are built on connectivity, credibility, and predictability, backed by stable governance, a coherent regulatory framework, and a proven capacity for execution. Under the second phase of the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2) — running from 2024 to 2029 — Rwanda aims to attract major events, exhibitions, and conferences to boost MICE and sports tourism. The country also seeks to leverage existing and new Visit Rwanda partnerships — across sports, the creative industries, and entertainment — to promote tourism, investment, and MICE growth. In addition, NST2 emphasises improving the quality of MICE-related services through professionalization programs, enhanced standards, and certification initiatives, with the goal of increasing average visitor spending. ALSO READ: How Rwanda turned the UCI World Championships into a festival of joy More than $30 million generated from sports events in the last three years Nelly Mukazayire, Minister of Sports, said sport in Rwanda goes beyond leisure, stating that it is a pillar of unity and national development. She also cited the economic impact of sports-related events – as a part of MICE. Mukazayire stated that Rwanda has already hosted numerous high-profile events, including the 73rd FIFA Congress (2023) with 1,557 participants, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) General Assembly (2024) with 800 participants, and the Ironman competition. “Over the last three years, more than $30 million was generated in revenue from international events of this magnitude,” she said. Recent highlights include hosting the 2025 UCI Road World Championships, which Mukazayire said drew 743 cyclists from 108 countries, 3,000 officials, and over 1 million spectators across Kigali. “In terms of media visibility, the championships were broadcast in more than 120 countries, which represents more than 700 million viewers around the world. On the social media side, we talked about more than 131 million impressions and 3 million engagements,” she said. Infrastructure and global partnerships According to Mukazayire, in line with an ambition to become a sports hub, Kigali envisages becoming a sports city and leisure city that places sports at the centre of urban development. To this end, she said, Rwanda developed sports areas, multidisciplinary infrastructures, leisure spaces, citing the construction of BK Arena with a capacity of 10,000 people, Amahoro stadium with a capacity of 45,000 people, and a Zaria Court – an area that has at the same time sports but also leisure or spaces for the development of young people. Other sports infrastructures include Gahanga Cricket Stadium, and Kigali golf course, she said. Afrika stated that the progress in Rwanda’s tourism – including MICE – success is supported by investment-friendly reforms and incentives that have attracted luxury lodges and global hotel brands, such as One&Only, Marriott, and Radisson, as well as the establishment of conference facilities – like Kigali Convention Centre. He also pointed to Rwanda’s global branding efforts, indicating that the country embarked on a major project “to change our national image and increase visibility,” through partnerships with Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, and recently the Los Angeles Clippers (NBA) and Los Angeles Rams (NFL). These sports partnerships, he said, were chosen because they offer major global exposure for “Visit Rwanda,” the country’s official tourism brand.
