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Rwanda will host Formula One’s first African Grand Prix since 1993 after securing a 10-year agreement to stage races from the early 2030s.
Formula One confirmed the agreement on Tuesday, October 13, saying the African Grand Prix will take place at a new purpose-built circuit in Bugesera, south of Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, once construction is complete. The deal will bring the championship back to Africa for the first time since the 1993 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami, won by Alain Prost.
Rwanda has pursued a Formula One race for several years as part of a broader strategy to use major international sporting events to promote tourism, investment and the country’s global profile. President Paul Kagame formally announced Rwanda’s bid when Kigali hosted the FIA General Assemblies in December 2024.
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Formula One President and CEO Stefano Domenicali described the agreement as a landmark development, saying Rwanda’s addition would mean the championship races on every inhabited continent. He said the partnership reflected F1’s long-term objective of returning to Africa with a sustainable and ambitious hosting arrangement.
Kagame described the agreement as an important moment for the continent, noting that Africa had been absent from Formula One for more than three decades.
Rwanda has increasingly invested in international sport as part of its global branding strategy. The country has signed sponsorship agreements with major football clubs, partnered with the NBA’s Basketball Africa League and hosted the 2025 UCI Road World Championships.
Those investments have also attracted criticism from human rights groups and other observers who accuse Kigali of using major sporting partnerships to improve its international image while facing allegations over political repression and human rights abuses.
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Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has repeatedly supported F1’s return to Africa and previously backed Rwanda’s ambitions to host a race.
South Africa has also been pursuing a return to the Formula One calendar. Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie said Rwanda’s agreement should not rule out South Africa, arguing that Africa is large enough to accommodate more than one Formula One race.
Under the new agreement, Rwanda will become the third African country to host a Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, after Morocco and South Africa, marking a significant expansion of the sport’s global footprint.
