The World Football governing body (FIFA) is set to move its Regional Office from Addis Ababa to Kigali after an agreement was reached with the host nation Rwanda. The agreement was approved by the Cabinet Meeting held on Monday, January 4, before it is signed with the football governing body. In an exclusive interview with Times Sport, Sports Minister Aurore Mimosa Munyangaju said that the agreement was approved after FIFA expressed to Rwanda its desire to open one of its Regional Development Offices (RDO) in Kigali. She said the dates of signature of the agreement will be announced to the public in due time, from which the office will start its operations in Rwanda. For the implementation of the program, FIFA has introduced the approach to have Regional Development Offices in regions across the world. FIFA’s regional office in Kigali will have the mandate to coordinate all its related activities in specific regions, provide strategic guidance to regional Member Associations, and provide recommendations to FIFA Headquarters for development support in the region. Munyangaju welcomed FIFA’s interest to open its offices in Rwanda and is confident that having an office in Kigali will benefit Rwanda’s Football in one way or another. “Having a FIFA Regional Office in Rwanda will be beneficial to the country both in terms of economic benefits and football development as the Regional Office will be hosting Regional meetings and trainings for FIFA Members Associations under its regional oversight,” Munyangaju said in an interview. “Additionally, FERWAFA, which is in the host country, shall have a direct link with the FIFA RDO thus might benefit first hand from programs being developed for the region,” she added. Rwanda has become the third country in Africa, after Senegal and South Africa to have a FIFA regional development office . Its office also becomes one of ten regional development offices to be opened by FIFA globally since the creation of the Forward programme in 2016. Other FIFA regional development offices are already established in India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, Senegal, Barbados, and the United Arab Emirates and South Africa.
