U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are currently working together on a DO NOT BOARD (DNB) process with regard to the DRC, DHS said in a post on X.
“American citizens who are departing from the DRC may be subject to a DO NOT BOARD (DNB) order. Americans are able to return to the United States 21 days after leaving the DRC,” it added.
The latest announcement came one day after the CDC announced temporarily restricting U.S. entry for all travelers who were recently in DRC and certain travelers who were recently in Uganda or South Sudan.
“Air passengers who have been in Uganda and South Sudan in the past 21 days and are allowed to enter the United States will have their travel rerouted to a designated airport for public health entry screening,” the CDC said in the update Tuesday.
Since May, the DRC has been fighting an outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment. As of Tuesday, the number of confirmed Ebola cases in the DRC has reached 2,011, including 754 deaths.
Since May, the DRC has been fighting an outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, for which there is no approved vaccine.
Known for its commitment to quality, affordability and convenience, Simba Supermarket has established itself as one of Rwanda’s leading retail brands.
With 15 branches across the country, the retailer continues to provide customers with a wide selection of local and international products while expanding the way families experience its stores.
This holiday season, Simba is placing family experiences at the heart of its offering by bringing together shopping, dining and entertainment under one roof.
Complementing this experience, I&M Bank enables customers to pay quickly, securely and conveniently using a range of digital payment solutions. Whether shopping for groceries, enjoying a meal or paying for entertainment, customers can complete their transactions seamlessly, making every visit even more convenient.
Beyond its retail shelves, visitors can enjoy an indoor entertainment centre at Simba Gacuriro featuring an arcade with a variety of games for children and adults, alongside immersive 3D and 5D cinema experiences. Designed to cater to different age groups, the facilities offer families an opportunity to spend quality time together in a safe and engaging environment.
Speaking about this year’s holiday experience, Simba Supermarket Managing Director Joseph Mutabazi said that this reflects the company’s commitment to continuously enhancing the customer experience.
“At Simba Supermarket, we believe every visit should be more than just a shopping trip. This holiday season, we are delighted to offer families an experience that brings together quality shopping, delicious dining and exciting entertainment for all ages.”
The experience extends to Simba’s in-store coffee shops, where families can enjoy freshly prepared meals, snacks and a selection of hot and cold beverages.
Whether taking a break after shopping or simply spending an afternoon together, the café complements Simba’s vision of creating a welcoming destination for every member of the family.
Through its partnership with Simba Supermarket, I&M Bank continues to support innovative payment solutions while empowering customers to enjoy fast, easy and convenient digital payments.
The collaboration reflects both organisations’ shared commitment to delivering seamless customer experiences that combine convenience, innovation and everyday value.
With many parents seeking meaningful activities during the school holidays, Simba Supermarket is positioning itself as a place where everyday errands can become memorable family outings.
By combining retail, dining and entertainment in a single location, supported by seamless digital payment solutions from I&M Bank, the supermarket offers visitors the convenience of accomplishing more in one trip while creating moments that children and parents can enjoy together.
As families look for places that offer both convenience and recreation during the holiday season, Simba Supermarket continues to strengthen its position as more than a retail destination.
Together with I&M Bank, it is delivering an experience that brings together quality shopping, hospitality, family entertainment and effortless payments—reflecting the evolving needs of today’s consumers, one visit at a time.
From classic favorites to interactive attractions, the arcade provides fun-filled experiences for adults and children of all ages this holiday seasonA family enjoys a friendly basketball challenge at Simba Supermarket’s family arcade, where every game adds to the holiday excitement.A selection of arcade games offers endless entertainment, making Simba Supermarket a go-to holiday destination for families.
For women of childbearing age, the challenges multiply: fears of birth defects from medications, risks of seizures harming mother or child, and questions about inheritance and breastfeeding have long cast a shadow over dreams of motherhood.
For Chinese neurologist Dr. Chen Lei, chief physician and professor in the Department of Neurology at West China Hospital of Sichuan University based in Chengdu City, these questions became more than medical concerns. They became a lifelong mission.
With more than 20 years of experience in clinical and basic research on epilepsy, Dr. Chen has dedicated much of her career to helping women living with epilepsy safely become mothers while advancing new approaches for patients whose seizures remain difficult to control.
Her journey began in 2010, when she was expecting her first child.
During a routine prenatal visit, Dr. Chen encountered three pregnant women with epilepsy who were searching for answers.
They asked whether their children would inherit epilepsy, whether anti-epileptic drugs could cause birth defects, and whether they would still be able to breastfeed.
“As a mother myself, I understood their fears,” Dr. Chen recalls during an interview with IGIHE. “But as a neurologist, I realised I could not answer their questions. I could not find the answers in textbooks or specialised epilepsy books.”
The epilepsy research team works with digital tools and medical technology to explore new methods of predicting seizures before they occur.
From a mother’s question to a lifelong research mission
That moment changed the direction of her career.
At the time, research on epilepsy among women of reproductive age was limited. Dr. Chen began reviewing available international studies, translating scientific knowledge into Chinese and searching for evidence that could guide both doctors and patients.
After reviewing the available literature, which at the time included only around 200 research papers published annually on the topic, Dr. Chen compiled the evidence and combined it with her own clinical insights.
One year later, in 2011, she published China’s first clinical reference book dedicated to women with epilepsy, providing doctors with practical guidance on pregnancy, treatment and reproductive health management.
However, Dr. Chen soon realised that medical literature alone could not answer every question faced by patients.
After the book was published, many women and their families came to seek her advice.
“They asked, ‘How can my daughter who has epilepsy have a healthy baby?’” Dr. Chen says. “But I could not give them a confident answer because I only had knowledge from books and literature, without enough practical experience.”
To address this gap, Dr. Chen began building a patient cohort, registering women with epilepsy between the ages of 18 and 45 who wanted to have children.
This work later developed into Asia’s first registry and long-term follow-up database for women with epilepsy, creating a foundation for years of research into pregnancy outcomes, medication safety and the health of children born to mothers with epilepsy.
Through the research, Dr. Chen and her team identified challenges that extended beyond medical complications. Many women had lived for years with fear and uncertainty, while some families struggled emotionally because they believed epilepsy would prevent them from having children.
“Some patients had been trying for five or ten years without success,” Chen says. “Some cried in the clinic with their families, and sometimes husbands cried too, even talking about divorce because they could not have children.”
Driven by the belief that women with epilepsy deserved the opportunity to experience motherhood safely, Dr. Chen expanded research into treatment approaches, including how anti-epileptic drugs should be used during pregnancy and how medication dosages could be adjusted to protect both mothers and babies.
Her team’s findings have since contributed to epilepsy management guidelines in China and internationally through collaboration with the International League Against Epilepsy.
In recognition of her scientific contribution and commitment to public service, Chen was named in May 2026 among China’s “Most Beautiful Sci-Tech Workers,” an honour recognising researchers who combine innovation with social impact.
Today, the work she started has grown into a wider medical network. More than 300 hospitals across China follow treatment standards developed through her research, while doctors and students continue to receive training in managing epilepsy among women of reproductive age.
“Women with epilepsy can now safely carry a pregnancy to term,” Dr. Chen says. “During pregnancy, they have fewer seizures, their children are born healthier, and rates of disability and mortality have also declined.”
Dr. Chen Lei displays her book on women’s epilepsy, the first scientific reference book of its kind in China dedicated to female epilepsy care and reproductive health.
Expanding epilepsy research beyond pregnancy
Beyond women’s epilepsy, Chen has expanded her research to patients whose seizures cannot be controlled through medication, known as drug-resistant epilepsy.
Her team has explored new treatment approaches, including minimally invasive procedures and the use of advanced technologies combining brain imaging, Electroencephalogram (EEG) data, movement information and blood biomarkers to better understand and predict seizures.
One area of research she highlights is the discovery of protein biomarkers that may predict seizures a day before they occur, potentially allowing patients to monitor their condition outside hospitals.
“EEG monitoring can only be used in hospitals, but these biomarkers can be used at home,” Chen explains. “Every community could use this to help patients.”
She is also involved in research on brain-computer interfaces (BCI), a rapidly developing field that uses brain signals to create communication between the brain and external devices.
For Dr. Chen, the goal is not only to control seizures but to improve quality of life throughout a patient’s lifetime.
“Even if seizures are controlled now, they may return later,” she says. “We need more and more new methods to help them live a high-quality life for their whole lifetime. That is their dream, and it is also my dream.”
Young doctors and medical researchers work at the innovation studio, exploring new technologies aimed at improving diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders.
Taking epilepsy knowledge beyond borders
Dr. Chen’s research has also been shaped by international cooperation. The first preface of her book on women’s epilepsy was written by Peter Wolf, former president of the International League Against Epilepsy, while other mentors from Japan and Harvard University have also influenced her scientific journey.
Looking ahead, Dr. Chen believes knowledge-sharing can help address epilepsy challenges beyond China’s borders, including in Africa.
As 2026 marks the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, she sees healthcare as an important area for collaboration.
“As a Chinese doctor, I want to contribute my knowledge to this collaboration,” she says. “In the future, we can establish summer schools or educational programmes to welcome doctors and students from Africa to China. We can also go to African countries to help patients and doctors.”
For Dr. Chen, medicine is ultimately about connection, between doctors and patients, between countries and between generations of researchers working toward the same goal.
“I think communication is very important,” she says. “If we work together, it will be very good.”
Through years of research, mentorship and patient care, Dr. Chen Lei has helped transform epilepsy from a condition surrounded by fear into one where women can look forward to motherhood with greater confidence and hope.
Dr. Chen Lei, chief physician and professor at West China Hospital of Sichuan University, has dedicated more than two decades to improving care for people living with epilepsy, especially women hoping to become mothers.Advanced epilepsy research equipment at the innovation studio in Sichuan supports the study of brain activity, seizure patterns and new treatment approaches.Dr. Chen Lei (third from left) introduces her epilepsy research work to a delegation of African senior journalists during their recent visit to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province.
The appointments were announced in a communiqué issued by the Office of the Prime Minister on July 15, 2026.
Ngabo Brave Olivier, who has been appointed to serve in the Ministry of Sports, was previously the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Arts.
He was appointed to that position in 2024, after serving as the Executive Secretary of the National Youth Council.
Ngabo replaces Candy Basomingera, who assumed the role of Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sports in July 2025, taking over from Uwayezu Jean François Regis.
Basomingera joined the Ministry of Sports from her position as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB), where she was appointed in March 2023.
Ishungure Parfait, who has been appointed Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Arts, replaces Ngabo Brave Olivier.
Ngabo Brave Olivier has been appointed as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sports. Ishungure Parfait has been appointed Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Arts.
The revenue was generated between July 6 and 10, 2026, from 9,101 tonnes of products shipped to international markets, including coffee, tea, vegetables, fruits, flowers, and other agricultural and livestock-related products.
Among the exports, diversified agricultural and livestock products generated the highest earnings, bringing in Rwf 5.8 billion during the period.
Tea exports followed with Rwf 2.4 billion, while coffee generated Rwf 1.7 billion. Vegetables earned Rwf 1.29 billion, fruits brought in Rwf 492.1 million, and flowers generated Rwf 32.5 million.
The products were exported to markets including China, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, France, Nigeria, and other African countries.
Agricultural and livestock products exported from Rwanda generated more than Rwf 11.8 billion in five days.
On October 30, 2024, the same court had sentenced Dr Rwamucyo to 27 years in prison. He appealed the verdict, with the appeal hearing starting on June 9, 2026, as he maintained that he had no involvement in the crimes he is accused of committing in the former Butare Prefecture.
Dr. Rwamucyo, who headed the Centre Universitaire de Santé Publique (CUSP), a public health institution at the former National University of Rwanda, was among intellectuals who attended a meeting convened by then Prime Minister Jean Kambanda at the university.
The meeting, held on May 14, 1994, encouraged intellectuals to take part in the Genocide against the Tutsi, and Dr. Rwamucyo is accused of making a speech in support of the killings.
He is also accused of overseeing the burial of Tutsi victims killed in different parts of Butare, using equipment including a road construction machine ‘caterpillar’.
Prosecutors argue that the operation was intended to conceal evidence of the genocide. However, Dr. Rwamucyo told the court that he never attempted to hide the bodies of Tutsi victims, arguing that it was impossible to conceal killings that had taken place openly over several weeks.
He told the court that the locations where Tutsi victims were buried in Butare were known by those involved in the killings, but said he never prepared maps or reports documenting them. He said he had written documents about the burials, but they were lost when he fled Rwanda in June 1994.
On July 13, 2026, lawyer Clothilde Hazard, representing civil parties in the case, told the court that the manner in which Tutsi victims were buried under Dr. Rwamucyo’s instructions was aimed at hiding evidence of the genocide.
“What has emerged from this trial is that he identified places for excavation, bodies were placed there in any manner possible, graves were not marked even with a simple cross, and there was no dignified burial that could be described as such. Even today, these graves remain visible,” she said.
Another lawyer, Alice Zarka, said the burials supervised by Dr. Rwamucyo revealed evidence of genocide that remains visible more than three decades later.
“Today, we are seeing pits and evidence of genocide. What happened during the genocide is still visible. Evidence is still being uncovered. That is why turning a blind eye and presenting it as a matter of hygiene and sanitation, while seeking to conceal the crime and his role in leading acts that destroyed a population, is something that victims cannot understand,” she said.
On July 15, 2026, prosecutor Aude Duret told the court that Dr. Rwamucyo was an intellectual who used his knowledge to serve a government that planned and carried out the genocide, and that he fully understood the actions he was taking.
She said evidence presented during the appeal hearing, along with testimonies, showed that Dr. Rwamucyo was part of networks supporting the extremist government, including the Coalition for the Defence of the Republic (CDR), and that he made statements targeting Tutsi people.
The prosecutor also said Dr. Rwamucyo supervised the burial of more than 214,000 Tutsi victims in Butare, including some victims who were buried alive, a claim supported by testimonies from witnesses.
Following the prosecution’s submissions, Dr. Rwamucyo and his lawyers were expected to present their arguments before the Paris Assize Court. The verdict is expected during the night of July 16 to July 17, 2026.
The Paris Assize Court is expected to deliver its verdict after French prosecutors sought a 30-year prison sentence for Dr Eugène Rwamucyo during his appeal trial.
The attack occurred at Tourou village in the Mokolo subdivision of the Mayo-Tsanaga department on Monday night.
An infant was also shot and seriously injured during the raid, a security source told Xinhua.
The attackers reportedly seized military equipment before withdrawing. The wounded soldiers and the infant were rushed to a regional hospital for treatment.
The attack came just hours after government troops repelled another Boko Haram assault in the same area, killing two militants and injuring several others.
The Boko Haram terror group has been carrying out attacks in Cameroon’s Far North region since 2014, inflicting heavy human and material losses across the region.
Reports indicate that 1 civilian has been killed while 4 soldiers were injured in Boko Haram attack in Cameroon’s Far North
A total of 2011 confirmed cases, including 754 deaths, were reported, according to the latest report released by the country’s health authorities on Tuesday.
The announcement came as the WHO warned earlier in the day that undetected transmission, community deaths and rapid geographic expansion threatened to keep the response behind the epidemic curve.
Chikwe Ihekweazu, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said the current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, was growing faster than any Ebola outbreak.
The outbreak, declared in mid-May, has spread to five provinces and is already the third-largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded, according to the WHO.
Fastest growth
“We’ve seen the fastest growth in a single month since the outbreak started and of all the Ebola outbreaks that we have managed,” said Ihekweazu.
“This is a fire,” he said, describing the epidemic that is being fuelled in its core areas while simultaneously spreading outward.
The outbreak appears to be entering a “new phase” characterized by progressive geographic expansion beyond its original epicentre in the Ituri province, said a weekly situation report by the WHO regional office for Africa released Tuesday.
The outbreak has newly spread to two more provinces, namely Tshopo and Haut-Uele, increasing the complexity of the response and elevating the risk of further national and cross-border spread, the report said.
DRC health authorities said on Tuesday that the emergence of new cases in Haut-Uele, which has so far reported 14 cases, including 13 deaths, indicated a further geographical spread, requiring an immediate strengthening of surveillance, diagnostic capacity and operational preparedness.
The detection of cases in Kisangani, a city of more than 1.6 million people and a major transport hub linking east and west of the country, highlighted the risk of wider transmission along key transport corridors, including the Congo River, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned on Tuesday.
Hidden transmission
Despite improvements in laboratory capacity and contact monitoring, around 80 percent of newly confirmed patients were not previously listed as contacts of known cases, which means they were emerging from “unknown chains of transmission,” Ihekweazu said.
As of Monday, 12,430 contacts of confirmed cases have been under surveillance, with the follow-up rate at 67.4 percent, health authorities said, well below the recommended operational target of 95 percent.
The mortality pattern points to the same delays. During the reporting period, 205 confirmed deaths were recorded, nearly 68 percent of which occurred outside treatment facilities, indicating that delayed presentation for care continues to contribute substantially to mortality, said the WHO report.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment, unlike the better-known Zaire species.
On Tuesday, a first clinical trial was launched to assess whether the antiviral obeldesivir can prevent Bundibugyo Ebola infection after exposure.
The trial is being conducted in the DRC and Uganda and aims to enroll nearly 1,000 adults and children aged over 12, said the WHO. Eligible participants must have had direct contact with a confirmed patient, an infected body or a contaminated needle within the previous five days. Recruitment will continue in line with the evolution of the outbreak.
A separate WHO-backed trial, PARTNERS, was launched in the DRC on July 2 to evaluate treatments for patients already infected, as the trial is assessing the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and the antiviral remdesivir, individually and in combination.
Wider crisis
The Ebola response is unfolding against the backdrop of a much broader humanitarian emergency in eastern DRC, where armed violence, mass displacement, food insecurity and multiple disease outbreaks are competing for already limited resources.
Treatment capacity is under mounting strain. As of Monday, 753 patients were in isolation or hospitalization, while Ebola treatment and care facilities were operating at an average of 87.4 percent occupancy nationwide and at or near full capacity in several high-transmission areas, said authorities.
The response has been further complicated by insecurity, attacks on health workers and facilities, community mistrust, patients leaving treatment centers before completing care, and protests by frontline responders over working conditions and unpaid allowances.
A total of 114 health workers had been infected, and 36 had died, authorities said, underscoring persistent gaps in infection prevention and control at health facilities.
Ihekweazu said reducing resistance and preventing further attacks would require greater transparency, the early involvement of community leaders and clear assurances that patients would not be isolated and abandoned.
Beyond the treatment centers, the outbreak is spreading through provinces already deeply affected by conflict and displacement. UN humanitarian figures showed that the DRC had hosted about 5.8 million internally displaced people by the end of March, including some 923,000 in Ituri and 1.2 million in North Kivu, the two provinces bearing the heaviest burden of Ebola transmission. Around 307,000 people had been newly displaced nationwide since the beginning of the year.
The outbreak is also competing for attention and resources with other major public health emergencies. During the first 26 weeks of 2026, the country reported about 32,100 cholera cases, 99,200 measles cases and 22,800 mpox cases, according to UN humanitarian data released on Tuesday.
Despite the pace of transmission, Ihekweazu urged governments and international partners not to become resigned to the outbreak.
“We need the world to come together, not just out of charity or out of support for the DRC, but in our own enlightened best interest,” he said. “The more we do right now, the better placed we will be in the future.”
Medical workers carry out disinfection work at an Ebola treatment center in Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, July 6, 2026. (Xinhua) Medical workers bury a deceased person in accordance with epidemic prevention protocols in Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, July 9, 2026. (Xinhua)
The summit, which began on July 10, 2016, brought together African leaders in Kigali, with high-level meetings scheduled for July 17 and 18. About 35 presidents had confirmed their participation.
However, as Rwanda prepared to welcome the continent’s leaders, it found itself at the centre of a diplomatic storm involving debates from The Hague in the Netherlands, Khartoum in Sudan and Kigali.
At the heart of the controversy was one question: Would Rwanda arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and hand him over to the International Criminal Court (ICC)?
Bashir had been invited to the AU Summit as the leader of a member state.
At the same time, he had been wanted by the ICC for seven years over allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide-related charges linked to the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region.
On July 14, 2016, just days before the summit, the Rwandan government confirmed that it had received a request from the ICC asking it to arrest Bashir if he entered the country.
Bashir’s international legal troubles
Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, a former military officer, seized power in Sudan in 1989 after overthrowing Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi’s government. He became president in 1993 and remained in power until he was removed in 2019.
His name became widely associated with international justice proceedings following the outbreak of conflict in Darfur in 2003.
On July 14, 2008, ICC prosecutors accused Bashir of playing a role in a campaign targeting the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa communities through killings, sexual violence and forced displacement.
The ICC issued its first arrest warrant against him on March 4, 2009, containing charges of crimes against humanity, including murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture and rape. He was also accused of war crimes, including attacks against civilians and pillaging.
At the time, judges said there was insufficient evidence to charge him with genocide.
A second arrest warrant was issued on July 12, 2010, adding three genocide charges. Bashir became the first sitting head of state to be wanted by the ICC.
Although Sudan was not a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the ICC and did not recognize the court’s jurisdiction, the UN Security Council had referred the Darfur situation to the ICC.
From then on, every foreign trip by Bashir became a potential diplomatic challenge for the countries he visited.
South Africa’s failed attempt to detain Bashir
The pressure on Rwanda was intensified by events in South Africa a year earlier.
In June 2015, Bashir travelled to South Africa to attend an AU summit. South Africa was a signatory to the Rome Statute, meaning it had an obligation to arrest individuals wanted by the ICC who entered its territory.
A South African court ordered that Bashir should not leave the country while it considered whether he should be arrested and transferred to The Hague.
However, Bashir’s aircraft later departed and returned him to Khartoum after the South African government allowed him to leave, despite the court order.
The incident triggered international criticism. The ICC and human rights groups accused South Africa of failing to meet its obligations, while some African leaders argued that Bashir enjoyed immunity as a sitting head of state attending an AU meeting.
This raised concerns over whether Rwanda would face a similar situation when hosting the 2016 AU Summit.
Kagame sets Rwanda’s position
Before the ICC sent its request, President Paul Kagame had already indicated that Bashir would be welcomed if invited by the AU.
Speaking to journalists on May 13, 2016, Kagame said Rwanda would receive any leader invited by the continental organisation.
He stressed that Rwanda, as the host country, had a responsibility to welcome AU invitees and noted that Rwanda was not party to the Rome Statute.
Rwanda rejects ICC request
On July 14, 2016, then Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo revealed that the ICC had formally requested Rwanda to arrest Bashir two days earlier.
She said Rwanda did not have the legal authority to detain him and that all leaders invited by the AU would be welcomed and protected.
Mushikiwabo added that Rwanda was not bound by the ICC request because it had not signed the Rome Statute.
Following Rwanda’s position, Bashir arrived in Kigali on Saturday, July 16, 2016, where he was received by then Minister of Internal Security Sheikh Musa Fazil Harerimana.
Mushikiwabo said Rwanda did not support impunity but believed that the ICC’s operations had become influenced by politics.
She argued that African leaders attending AU activities should be granted immunity while serving in office, citing AU positions submitted to the UN Security Council.
She also questioned why, after years of ICC operations, most individuals prosecuted by the court were Africans.
Bashir was eventually removed from power on April 11, 2019, following months of protests that began in December 2018 over rising living costs, poverty and his three-decade rule.
The military overthrew him, detained him and later placed him in Kober Prison in Khartoum.
His removal ended one of Africa’s longest presidential tenures and marked a new chapter in Sudan’s turbulent political history.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir during his visit to Kigali to attend the African Union Summit.
The agreement, announced on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, also names Visit Rwanda as Aston Villa’s exclusive Official Tourism Partner and Official Coffee Provider, extending Rwanda’s use of elite sport as a platform to market the country to international audiences.
Under the partnership, the Visit Rwanda brand will appear on the playing shirts of Aston Villa’s men’s, women’s and youth teams in all competitions, including the Premier League and European tournaments. The agreement also includes branding at Villa Park, international marketing campaigns, digital content and fan engagement activities designed to showcase Rwanda’s tourism attractions, hospitality sector, investment opportunities and conference industry.
The collaboration brings together Rwanda, popularly known as the “Land of a Thousand Hills,” and Birmingham, historically referred to as the “City of a Thousand Trades,” with both parties describing the partnership as one built on shared values of enterprise, innovation and ambition.
Beyond commercial branding, the partnership will include football development programmes, coach education, academy exchanges, charitable initiatives and leadership programmes in Rwanda. Scholarships and professional development opportunities for talented Rwandans will also form part of the agreement as Rwanda continues to position sport as a driver of economic growth and skills development.
Janet Karemera, Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB), said the sponsorship reflects Rwanda’s ambition to reach global audiences through one of the world’s most influential sporting platforms.
“This sponsorship is a powerful expression of Rwanda’s ambition to engage global audiences through one of the world’s most influential platforms and position our country as a destination to visit, invest and do business,” Karemera said.
She noted that the agreement builds on eight years of Visit Rwanda’s engagement in the United Kingdom, one of Rwanda’s key tourism source markets, and is expected to help expand the country’s reach across Europe and beyond.
“Through this partnership, we aim to deepen the connection with those already considering travel to Rwanda, whether for tourism, investment or business events, while contributing to the long-term growth and development of the football ecosystem in Rwanda,” she added.
Aston Villa President of Business Operations Francesco Calvo welcomed the partnership, describing it as another step in the club’s growing international footprint.
“This is a very exciting partnership for Aston Villa Football Club and a symbol of the club’s continuing expansion and growth into international markets,” Calvo said.
“There is a great range and depth of opportunities for collaboration, learning and innovation and we are looking forward to working with Visit Rwanda to deliver meaningful activities through tourism, investment and sporting development.”
The Aston Villa agreement further expands Visit Rwanda’s sports sponsorship portfolio, which already includes partnerships with French champions Paris Saint-Germain, Spanish club Atlético de Madrid, the Basketball Africa League, NBA franchise the Los Angeles Clippers and NFL team the Los Angeles Rams.
The announcement comes as Rwanda continues to post strong economic growth. According to figures released by the Rwanda Development Board, the country’s economy expanded by 9.4 percent in 2025, while tourism and conference activities generated a record $685 million in revenues, supported by 1.49 million visitors.
Rwanda has set ambitious targets to increase annual tourism revenues to $1.1 billion and double private investment to $4.6 billion by 2029. Officials say the Aston Villa partnership will support those goals by leveraging football’s global appeal to attract visitors, investors and business opportunities while promoting sports development in Rwanda.
Aston Villa has partnered with Visit Rwanda, with the country’s tourism brand set to appear on the front of the English club’s shirt as part of a new sponsorship agreement.
