President Paul Kagame has emphasized that investing in sports and building its infrastructure plays a crucial role in boosting other sectors of the economy. He made the remarks at the Basketball Africa League (BAL) Investors Summit in Kigali on May 22, just hours before the BAL playoffs tipped off at BK Arena.
“Sports, in particular, bring people together. For Rwanda, we have seen many benefits. Tourism has grown, conferences are hosted here, and events like BAL attract visitors. It all comes down to choices and mindset,” Kagame said.
The President highlighted the importance of countries and organizations working together to organize such events: “When nations combine efforts, when tournaments bring people together, the benefits multiply at a very high level.”
Kagame added: “You cannot wish for something good like this to remain in one region or country. The more people collaborate and pool resources, the bigger the market becomes, and the more valuable everything you do becomes.”
The BAL playoffs are underway at BK Arena and will conclude on May 31. Rwanda is represented by RSSB Tigers BBC in the sixth edition of the tournament, which continues to showcase Africa’s basketball talent and business potential.
