Formula 1 has signed a 10-year agreement to race in Rwanda, returning the world championship to Africa for the first time since 1993. The deal gives Kigali a long-term foothold on the calendar as bids from South Africa and Nigeria remain in development.

The Formula 1 African Grand Prix, presented by Visit Rwanda, will run at a purpose-built circuit in Bugesera once construction is complete. The parties expect this to happen in the early next decade.

The track will be built to FIA Grade 1 standard, the license level required to host Formula 1. It will form part of a wider sports, tourism, infrastructure and commercial development led by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB). Formula 1 places the site about 40km south of Kigali, next to the country’s new international airport. The circuit layout will incorporate the area’s elevation changes.

Between race weekends, the venue is expected to host other motor-sport events, major gatherings, conferences and entertainment. No inaugural date, construction milestones or circuit designer have been announced. Formula 1 said these details would follow. Former F1 driver Alexander Wurz and his design company have been involved in the project, alongside circuit engineering firm Tilke.

The companies had already been working on the project with the government and local representatives for more than a year when Rwanda formally launched its bid. Formula 1 is also highlighting Africa’s commercial potential. The championship says more than 100 million fans across the continent already follow the sport, with almost 60% of fans in key sub-Saharan African markets under the age of 35.

“For more than three decades, the world’s premier motor-sport championship has raced without this continent, and that changes with this agreement,” Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda

Kagame added:

“The circuit in Bugesera, alongside the new international airport, will bring jobs, skills, tourism and new business to our country and our region for decades to come, because our aim was never a single race weekend, but a lasting benefit for our people.”

Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said:

“With Rwanda joining the calendar from the next decade, our sport will race in every inhabited continent… Africa has always been part of Formula 1’s future, and from the beginning we were determined to return in the right way, with the right partner, a long-term commitment and a clear vision for creating meaningful impact.”

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said:

“Rwanda has demonstrated a strong commitment to delivering a world-class event, and the FIA will work closely with FOM and our partners as this new circuit is developed to the highest international standards.”

President Paul Kagame of Rwanda | Image by Rwanda Broadcasting Agency Kagame formally announced Rwanda’s bid in December 2024, using the opening of the FIA General Assembly and prize-giving ceremony in Kigali to make the case for bringing Formula 1 to the country.

Rwanda has since continued to build its international events portfolio, which includes the 2023 FIFA Congress, the Basketball Africa League and the 2025 UCI Road World Championships. BOSA reported last December that RDB chief executive Jean-Guy K. Afrika had said discussions were ongoing about bringing a Formula 1 race to Rwanda in 2029.

At the time, the proposed airport development was also being considered as a potential venue for Formula 2 and Formula 3. The wider plan centered on developing a new urban area around the airport, with the circuit forming part of that development. The airport remains central to the broader investment proposition, but the original 2029 target has given way to a commitment tied to the circuit’s completion.

The agreement establishes a 10-year partnership without setting a firm inaugural date. Delivery will depend on the construction of a circuit that has yet to be completed. Bugesera International Airport is central to the wider investment plan. The project is expected to cost about $2 billion, with completion pushed back to 2028 from 2026. Qatar Airways has agreed to take a 60% stake in the project.

The IMF has warned that the airport’s cost will intensify Rwanda’s debt-servicing pressures. A Grand Prix would give the airport a headline anchor event while providing the RDB’s surrounding development with a reason for international visitors to travel to Rwanda.

The “presented by Visit Rwanda” billing also places the country’s tourism brand at the center of the agreement. The brand has spent years building its international profile through partnerships with European football clubs, including Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain. An association with Formula 1 would extend that strategy into a global motor-sport property.

The potential economic impact rests on attracting visitors, generating business activity and encouraging investment, rather than relying on ticket sales alone. For Rwanda, the Grand Prix could become a driver of demand for infrastructure and tourism assets that are already central to its development plans.

However, the scale of those returns will depend on the cost of hosting the race and the additional economic activity it generates. Rwanda’s bid brings together the presidency, the Rwanda Development Board and the Visit Rwanda tourism brand under a single national project.

This structure gives Formula 1 a clear government counterpart, while the proposed circuit forms part of a wider infrastructure and tourism development plan. South Africa remains interested in returning to the calendar, with the government-backed Kyalami proposal and the privately financed Swartland project near Cape Town among the reported contenders.

Nigeria has also been linked to a proposed race in Abuja, although the status and financing of that project require further scrutiny. Rwanda’s agreement gives it a significant advantage over competing proposals. It has secured a long-term commitment from Formula 1, backed by a national development agency and a tourism brand with an established international sports-marketing presence.

Rival bids must now make their case against a project that has moved from negotiations to a formal agreement. First, the circuit has yet to be built, and the absence of a firm race date leaves room for delays. The airport’s own timetable has already shifted, illustrating the delivery challenges associated with large infrastructure projects.

Second, the agreement will bring further scrutiny of Rwanda’s use of sport as a tool for international positioning. Human rights organizations have accused the government of restricting political opposition and silencing critics, allegations the government disputes. Rwanda’s sports partnerships therefore carry reputational considerations alongside their commercial ambitions.

For South Africa and Nigeria, the calendar race is far from over. However, Rwanda now has the advantage of a long-term agreement with Formula 1, and rival bids will have to compete with a project backed by the government, a national tourism brand and a wider infrastructure plan. Whether that commitment translates into a race in the early 2030s will depend on construction, financing and delivery.