After the sponsorship deal, the next phase of Rwandan partnership focuses on talent development
German football powerhouse FC Bayern Munich has renewed and reshaped its partnership with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), moving from a commercial sponsorship model to a dedicated focus on youth football development in Rwanda.
The new agreement, which will run until 2028, centers on expanding the FC Bayern Youth Academy in Kigali into a regional hub for both football excellence and social impact.
The announcement marks a strategic shift in the high-profile collaboration between the Bundesliga giants and Rwanda, aligning both parties more closely around long-term developmental goals in African football.
“In constructive talks about our future direction, we agreed that a very special part of our relationship with RDB was the developmental nature of our work in Kigali through the FC Bayern Academy,” said Jan-Christian Dreesen, CEO of FC Bayern Munich.
“We are therefore transforming our commercial partnership into a talent programme and expanding the FC Bayern Academy in Kigali together with RDB as both a football and social initiative. This remains perfectly aligned to our strategic objective of developing playing talent in Africa.”
The partnership with Rwanda began in 2018 under the “Visit Rwanda” tourism campaign, which placed the Rwandan brand on the sleeves of FC Bayern jerseys during Bundesliga matches and leveraged the club’s global profile to promote Rwanda as a tourism and investment destination.
That visibility now transitions to deeper engagement through grassroots and elite-level football development.
According to Jean-Guy Afrika, the recently appointed CEO of RDB, the new phase is designed to support Rwanda’s long-term ambition to become a continental leader in high-performance sport, while also contributing to broader economic and social goals.
“The success of the FC Bayern Academy in Kigali is a great example of what strategic sports partnerships can achieve,” said Afrika. “As we enter a new phase, we are refocusing our resources to accelerate sports development, with emphasis on talent identification, coaching excellence, and sports infrastructure.”
The renewed partnership also comes on the heels of a major milestone: two young Rwandan footballers, Ndayishimiye Barthazar and David Okoce, have been selected to join the prestigious U19 FC Bayern World Squad for 2025.
Their selection, following training at the Kigali academy, is being celebrated as a breakthrough moment for Rwandan football and evidence that local investment in youth development is bearing fruit.
The expanded academy will offer structured training, elite coaching, and international exposure for promising young talents, while also embedding values of discipline, education, and community development.
The initiative forms part of Rwanda’s broader strategy to integrate sport into national development—both as a tool for economic diversification and as a platform for youth empowerment.
As Rwanda continues to brand itself as a global hub for tourism, investment, and sport, the deepened collaboration with one of Europe’s most decorated football clubs further cements its position on the international stage—not just as a sponsor, but as a stakeholder in global sports development.
It also has sponsorship deals with UK’s Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain – PSG (France). There are also plans underway to have Portuguese giants Benfica on board.
