Rwanda to be First African Host of Cycling Road World Champs
Cycling’s 2025 road world championships were awarded to Rwanda on Friday in a first hosting by an African country.
The capital city Kigali “will provide a magnificent backdrop” for the weeklong championships which were first held in 1921, International Cycling Union president David Lappartient said.
It’s the latest international sports project for Rwanda and long-time leader Paul Kagame which have faced criticism for repressive policies and human rights abuses.
Kagame hosted FIFA president Gianni Infantino this year to open a regional development office for soccer’s world body in Kigali.
Rwanda recently renewed a $13 million annual shirt sleeve sponsorship of English Premier League club Arsenal through 2025, and Kagame criticized the team on Twitter after losing the season-opening game.
The Rwandan president was in Belgium on Thursday to meet Lappartient ahead of the hosting decision being made on the sidelines of the road worlds.
The 2025 worlds in Kigali are also scheduled to be the venue for the UCI’s four-yearly elections.
Lappartient was re-elected unopposed Friday for a second term.
Read MoreIs Rwandan Coffee Sustainable?
Rwanda is famous for its coffee, which is largely produced by small-scale sustainable coffee farming.Rwandan coffee has developed a reputation for its high quality, attracting coffee roasters around the world.
While the first coffee plants reached Rwanda relatively late in the 20th century, it was only in the last two decades that Rwanda experienced a “coffee renaissance”. Today, Rwanda is one of the top thirty largest coffee-growing countries. Sustainability lies at the heart of the Rwandan coffee industry, and local non-profit organisations like Sustainable Growers Rwanda provide training to female coffee farmers and their families, helping them improve the sustainability and economic viability of their plantations.
Coffee beans grow at between 5000 and 6000 feet above sea level, making Rwandan brew famous for its rich, deep finish.
Read MoreWhat is the Kigali Financial Centre?
Kigali International Financial Centre, abbreviated as the KIFC, is an initiative which has the objective of making Rwanda a preferred financial jurisdiction for investments into Africa. It also hopes to provide a fresh element to the domestic industry within the African nation.
Whilst the name may lead you to think it is a physical place, this is, in fact, not the case. The Technical Advisor of Rwanda Finance Limited has explained that the KIFC is, in fact, a concentration of financial services, striving to be a catalyst for the country’s development.
The mission has been defined as “connect the Rwanda financial ecosystem to domestic and international business” and “be a catalyst of a safe, compliant and pro-business financial environment in Rwanda”.
It will provide a number of benefits, including an economic trickle-down in the creation of alternatives for mobilizing capital rather than focusing purely on traditional avenues.
Like in other countries that have developed IFCs such as Singapore, it will also lead to an increase in the quality of jobs and specialized skills development, as well as additional tax revenues for the government.
During the virtual signing of the partnership, Rwanda Finance’s CEO, Nick Barigye, said: “This partnership is a major milestone for our nascent International Financial Centre. It will ensure that we have an optimal legal, regulatory and institutional framework that is in line with international norms and standards.”
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