The Kigali Arena is already home to the inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL) which tips off from May 16-30 as 12 clubs from 12 countries across Africa look set to lock horns. The much-anticipated tournament was initially scheduled to start on March 13, 2020 in Dakar, Senegal, but organisers later moved it to Kigali after it was postponed due to Covid-19. Rwanda has fast established itself as a Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) destination, and the sport industry is one that can also play a significant role in the country’s economic development. Hosting events comes with economic gains and the country’s landscape offers opportunities for Sports Tourism projects which is a very lucrative sector. All eyes from the different corners of the globe are now on Rwanda ahead of the BAL and Clare Akamanzi, the Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Development Board (RDB), says hosting the tournament in Rwanda is a testimony of Rwanda’s readiness for global events. “We have the infrastructure, easy access by air and visa-free access as well as strong Covid-19 management that has given NBA the vote of confidence in us. We are ready and prepared for many more events. This also helps with recovery efforts; while meetings can effectively go virtual, sports competitions cannot and therefore a key target for faster resumption,” Akamanzi told Times Sport. Akamanzi revealed that over 1000 international guests are expected to grace the event, including players, staff and fans. “They will consume our goods and services such as hotels, transport, restaurants, therefore a major boost to the affected hospitality sector. We will know the exact amount after the event but we expect to inject a couple million dollars in the economy,” she said. Oleg Karambizi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Sports, told Times Sport that hosting and organising events of BAL’s caliber is a big opportunity for the sports sector to take a leaf from the BAL experience to set standards and improve the level of professionalism needed to perform not only in hosting international games. Karambizi is confident the tournament will further boost the country’s ambitions of developing the sports sector to a professional level as well as a platform to export talent. “We are not just looking at promoting Rwanda’s visibility, but also to export and market Rwanda’s promising talents in professional leagues across the world,” he said. Like NBA, organisers of the BAL are handling the tournament in a professional way, a lesson that Desire Mugwiza, the President of Rwanda Basketball Federation (FERWABA), said local sports bodies will hopefully learn from and replicate in future sports events, including the upcoming Afrobasket 2021 tournament taking place in August in Kigali. “When we look at the standards at which BAL is organised, it inspires us to raise the bar high and organise future basketball competitions at an international level and this should set an example to the whole sports sector if we are to attract more international tournaments in our country,” Mugwiza said. Mugwiza added that the tournament will also help the federation in raising awareness in attracting more talent to embrace the game and give them exposure to the world of basketball. “The BAL is hopefully an awareness tool to inspire the young generation to follow the game of basketball with pride as long as it can change their lives as long as they can play it professionally,” he said. From this context, Mugwiza said the BAL is more than a tournament but a big platform to boost Rwanda’s visibility across the world. For Rwandans, bringing the BAL to Kigali is an experience that every basketball fan is looking forward to. “I pray that we are allowed to attend the BAL games because I have been waiting for it for months. The way it is being organized shows that we are going to see a spectacular tournament,” said Fabrice Rukundo, a basketball supporter.
