Rwanda’s sports and entertainment infrastructure is increasingly being positioned as an economic driver, according to Guy Hedderwick, the Managing Director of QA Venue Solutions Rwanda. QA Venue Solutions is the company tasked with managing top facilities in the country, including BK Arena and Amahoro Stadium. Speaking on ‘The Context’ by The New Times, Hedderwick pointed to infrastructure quality, operational readiness and safety standards as key factors lifting Rwanda’s standing in Africa’s live events market. Read the excerpts of the interview below: What stood out to you when you first arrived in Kigali? What struck me first was the ease of entry, then the infrastructure, then the people. Rwanda has an intent that is very clear. You can see a country that wants to build something lasting. For us, that creates a real opportunity to work with the government and partners to strengthen Rwanda’s position as a central hub for sport and entertainment in Africa. How did you come into this industry? I came into events after a bad festival experience in the UK. It was wet, there were no proper toilets, and the beer was warm. I remember thinking there had to be a better way. I built my career around making memories for people and creating better experiences. That has taken me through the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Belgium and now Rwanda. ALSO READ: Inside Migina’s transformation into a modern sports, entertainment hub What impressed you most about Rwanda’s venues? The infrastructure is world-class. BK Arena, in particular, could be lifted and placed in almost any market and still hold its own. Coming out of Adelaide, I can say BK Arena is better than the arena I worked in there. These are exceptional facilities, and now the task is to make sure they generate revenue and support the wider economy. Why does venue infrastructure matter so much for a country’s image? It matters a great deal. Rwanda has understood something that other countries in Africa have not always fully grasped. BK Arena and Amahoro Stadium are among the best facilities on the continent. Combined with Rwanda’s brand and ease of access, that gives the country a strong platform. What happens here can become a playbook for the rest of Africa. How do you balance business with the experience fans expect? If you get the experience right, the business follows. Customer journey is central. People need to feel safe, secure and welcome, and they need to enjoy the event. But these are people’s venues. They are not mine. That means the business model has to work in a way that still keeps the venues accessible. How do you think about different audiences at venues such as BK Arena and Amahoro Stadium? I look at both demographics and psychographics. Different audiences want different experiences, and pricing has to reflect that. I saw that clearly at Amahoro Stadium during a FIFA series match. Fans came with passion, with pride and often with limited disposable income. We have to respect that and build models that allow them to attend. At the same time, when international artistes come here, we also have a responsibility to grow local talent. Rwanda should not only be a place that hosts global stars. It should also be a place where Rwandan artistes are developed so that one day they can headline global stages themselves. What kind of economic value does this ecosystem create? The value is substantial. At BK Arena alone, there have been 31,000 job opportunities created in the last five years. We have also engaged 472 contractors in the business. The impact goes far beyond the venue. Every dollar we spend here is probably generating three, four hundred dollars elsewhere in the ecosystem. People travel, they stay in hotels, they use transport, they eat, they spend. That supports a whole chain of businesses. New developments have started to rise around these spaces. That is what sport and entertainment do. They create movement. They create opportunity. They create money that circulates across the economy. How do major concerts and international acts feed into that growth? They help build confidence in the market. When a name like UB40 comes to BK Arena, that sends a message that people no longer hesitate to come to Rwanda. The same thing happened after the Doja Cat concert. Her manager called someone behind the scenes and said artistes need to get to Rwanda because the venue, the welcome and the crowd were all exceptional. The crowd matters enormously. You can bring in the biggest star in the world, but if the audience is flat, the show suffers. Rwanda’s audience gives performers something special. What has the reaction been from artistes and promoters who have worked here? Very positive. Artistes have enjoyed their time here and many have wanted to return. That tells you they believe in the market. Rwanda is also a safe country. I have felt very secure here, in some cases more secure than I have in places like Australia or the UK. That matters when you are dealing with touring, logistics and international talent. Is Rwanda becoming a model for other African markets? Yes. We are already working in other countries, including Kenya and Benin, and some of that growth has come from the success we have seen in Rwanda. We are also taking Rwandan skills into those markets. That is important. Rwanda should be the base, and the talent we develop here should be able to travel and export that expertise across the continent. What do you think drives the momentum now? Consistency and participation. It is not only about big international events. It is also about opening these spaces to the public, getting people in on weekends, promoting health, wellbeing and community use. Places like Nyandungu Eco Park show that these spaces can reset people, reduce stress and give them energy to return to work and life with a clearer mind. What is the next step for the live events economy in Rwanda? The next step is to keep building. Keep training people. Keep delivering events at international standards. Keep creating chances for local artistes, contractors and technicians. If we do that, Rwanda will not only remain competitive; it will lead. The goal is to raise event activity at the venues from about 180 days a year to 225.
