Visit Rwanda and Aston Villa Launch Landmark Front of Shirt Partnership
Visit Rwanda and Aston Villa Unite the Land of a Thousand Hills and the City of a Thousand Trades
Birmingham, United Kingdom – Tuesday, 14 July 2026 – Visit Rwanda, managed by the Rwanda Convention Bureau, today announced a landmark global partnership with Aston Villa Football Club, one of England’s most historic clubs. Under the agreement, Visit Rwanda becomes the Club’s Official Front-of-Shirt Partner, exclusive Official Tourism Partner and Official Coffee Provider.
The partnership unites Rwanda, the Land of a Thousand Hills, and Birmingham, historically known as the City of a Thousand Trades – two places defined by enterprise, innovation and ambition.
Leveraging football’s global platform, the collaboration will showcase Rwanda as a destination for tourism, trade, investment and sport, with Visit Rwanda benefitting from year-round global visibility on the playing shirts of Aston Villa’s men’s, women’s and youth teams in all competitions, including the FA Premier League and European competitions.
The partnership also includes extensive matchday visibility at Villa Park, international marketing campaigns, digital storytelling and fan experiences that will showcase Rwanda’s tourism offerings, thriving capital city, world-class hospitality and growing reputation as a destination for business, investment, major events, and sporting ambitions to millions of fans around the world.
Beyond global brand exposure, the partnership also includes initiatives focused on football development, coach education, academy exchanges, charitable initiatives and leadership initiatives within Rwanda, together with scholarships and professional development opportunities for talented Rwandans, all anchored around Rwanda’s long-term commitment to using sport as a catalyst for economic growth, skills development and social impact.
Janet Karemera, Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB), said:
“This sponsorship is a powerful expression of Rwanda’s ambition to engage global audiences through one of the world’s most influential platforms and position our country as a destination to visit, invest and do business. Bringing together the Land of a Thousand Hills and the City of a Thousand Trades celebrates a shared commitment to enterprise, innovation and ambition.
Building on eight successful years of raising awareness and engagement in the United Kingdom, one of Rwanda’s key tourism source markets, we look forward to working with Aston Villa to expand our reach to new audiences in the UK, across Europe and beyond. Through this partnership, we aim to deepen the connection with those already considering travel to Rwanda, whether for tourism, investment or business events, all while contributing to the long-term growth and development of the football ecosystem in Rwanda.”
Francesco Calvo, President of Business Operations, said:
“This is a very exciting partnership for Aston Villa Football Club and a symbol of the club’s continuing expansion and growth into international markets.
There is a great range and depth of opportunities for collaboration, learning and innovation and we are looking forward to working with Visit Rwanda to deliver meaningful activities through tourism, investment and sporting development.”
The partnership further strengthens Visit Rwanda’s position as one of the world’s leading destination brands in global sport, building on existing partnerships with Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético de Madrid, the Basketball Africa League, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Los Angeles Rams.
The partnership comes as Rwanda continues to build one of Africa’s strongest and most sustained economic growth stories. Over the past two decades, the country has recorded average annual GDP growth of around 8%, with the economy expanding by 9.4% in 2025.
Tourism and conferences generated a record USD 685 million in 2025, supported by 1.49 million visitors and Kigali’s ranking as Africa’s second-leading destination for international meetings. By 2029, Rwanda aims to double private investment to USD 4.6 billion and increase annual tourism revenues to USD 1.1 billion.
Together, Visit Rwanda and Aston Villa will work to contribute to these ambitions by harnessing the global power of football to inspire travel, attract investment, develop talent and showcase Rwanda to audiences around the world.
