The high-profile namers include former football stars, global business leaders, conservation advocates, artists, sports executives and philanthropists, reflecting the international reach of Rwanda’s conservation efforts.
Among the prominent figures expected at the ceremony is Shaikha Al Nuwais, Secretary-General of UN Tourism and the first woman to lead the organisation in its 50-year history.
The list also features football legends Mamadou Sakho, whose professional career spanned from 2007 to 2025, and Patrice Evra, who played professionally between 1998 and 2018. Both are former France internationals with distinguished club careers.
Sakho, who captained Paris Saint-Germain during his six-year senior spell at the club (2007–2013), went on to play for Liverpool (2013–2017) and Crystal Palace (2017–2021) in the English Premier League. He later had a stint at Montpellier before concluding his career at Georgian side Torpedo Kutaisi. He earned 29 caps for the French national team between 2010 and 2018.
Evra, who earned 81 international appearances for France between 2004 and 2016, served as captain for both his country and Manchester United. During his eight-year tenure at Old Trafford (2006–2014), he won five Premier League titles and the 2008 UEFA Champions League, before later playing for Juventus, Marseille and West Ham United.
Rwanda will also be represented among the namers by gospel singer and songwriter Israel Mbonyi, one of the country’s most recognised musical voices.
Mbonyi, who has built a large following in Rwanda and across Africa, joins one of the country’s most celebrated conservation traditions as a namer.
The business and investment community will be represented by Eng. Ahmed Sadek, Chairman of Elsewedy Electric, a global energy and infrastructure company that has been involved in Rwanda’s electrification efforts.
Global business leader Dominic Barton, Chairman of Rio Tinto and LeapFrog Investments, will also join the ceremony. Barton previously served as Global Managing Partner of McKinsey & Company and as Canada’s Ambassador to China.
Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, CEO and majority shareholder of Atlético de Madrid and a member of the UEFA Executive Committee, is another high-profile name on the list.
The hospitality investment sector will be represented by Olivier Granet, Managing Partner and Co-CEO of Kasada Capital Management, a hospitality investment platform and investor in Mövenpick Hotel Kigali.
Sports will also feature prominently among this year’s namers.
Francesco Calvo, President of Business Operations at Aston Villa, will join the celebration, alongside global sports executive Paul Danforth, President of CAA Sports and a former Senior Vice President of Sales for the New York Mets.
David Lappartient, President of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), will also return to Rwanda. His participation comes after Rwanda made cycling history in 2025 by hosting the UCI Road World Championships.
Olympic champion Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar is another prominent sports figure taking part. A three-time world champion, Barshim is one of the most accomplished high jumpers of his generation and will join Rwanda in celebrating mountain gorilla conservation.
Conservation will also feature prominently among this year’s namers.
Jeannette Uwimbabazi, a Nyungwe National Park ranger, has been recognised for her dedication to protecting Rwanda’s biodiversity and will take part in the ceremony as a representative of those working on the front lines of conservation.
Kelly O’Meara, Executive Director of the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA), is another conservation advocate among the namers. She works to promote primate protection and welfare across Africa.
Neil McDougall, Founder and Chairman of delAgua Group, will also join the 21st Kwita Izina as a namer. He leads efforts to expand access to clean cooking and improve livelihoods across Africa.
The ceremony will also bring together leading voices from wildlife filmmaking. Alastair Fothergill, the award-winning filmmaker behind productions including Planet Earth, Blue Planet and A Gorilla Story: Told by Sir David Attenborough, is among those set to name a gorilla.
Rwandan filmmaker Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo will also take part. Her film Ben’Imana was selected for the Un Certain Regard section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, and she now joins Rwanda’s conservation celebration as a namer.
The list extends to personalities using their public platforms to support social causes.
Kenza Johanna Ameloot, Miss Belgium 2024 of Rwandan heritage, is among the namers. She has used her platform to advocate for children affected by cataracts.
Former Aston Villa captain and Wales international James Chester will also take part. Chester helped Aston Villa return to the Premier League and represented Wales at UEFA Euro 2016.
Philanthropy and social impact will be represented by several namers.
Susan Hollern, Founder and President of Hope Haven Rwanda, will join the ceremony. She has worked to advance education and family transformation in Rwanda since 2011.
Philanthropy leader Dominique Plewes, Founder of SOF Support Foundation, will also take part. The foundation supports research and humanitarian initiatives in conflict-affected communities.
Philanthropists Garreth and Nicola Wood will also join the ceremony.
Garreth Wood MBE, a Scottish entrepreneur and philanthropist, chairs The Wood Foundation. Together with his wife, Nicola Wood MBE, he co-founded Kids Operating Room, a global health charity focused on expanding access to safe paediatric surgery in low-resource settings.
Their participation adds a global philanthropy dimension to this year’s ceremony, which continues to use gorilla conservation as a platform for bringing together people from different sectors and parts of the world.
Kwita Izina has grown into one of Rwanda’s most prominent conservation events, drawing international attention to the protection of mountain gorillas and the communities living alongside their habitat.
The 2026 edition will once again bring together personalities whose influence spans sports, tourism, business, conservation, entertainment and philanthropy, with each namer playing a role in celebrating Rwanda’s commitment to protecting its iconic mountain gorillas.
According to the Rwanda Development Board’s (RDB) 2025 annual performance report, Rwanda’s tourism sector generated $685 million in revenue in 2025, nearly four times the $164 million recorded in 2021.
Tourism revenue rose to $455 million in 2022 as the sector recovered from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, before reaching $620 million in 2023 and $647 million in 2024.
In 2025, tourism revenue increased by 6% compared with the previous year, supported by growth in visitor numbers and air travel. Revenue from air travel rose by 9% to $594 million.
Gorilla tourism accounted for a significant share of those earnings, generating $248 million in 2025, an increase of 7%.
Rwanda received 1.49 million visitors during the year, up from 1.36 million in 2024, representing a 9% increase. Visitors arriving by air increased by 23%.
The growth illustrates how the conservation of a species once considered highly vulnerable has become closely intertwined with Rwanda’s tourism ambitions.
Bringing tourism benefits to communities
Rwanda has also sought to ensure that the economic value created by conservation reaches communities living near national parks.
Through its tourism revenue-sharing programme, 10% of tourism revenues is allocated to communities living around protected areas.
The funds are invested in projects such as schools, health centres, water infrastructure and other community facilities.
RDB says more than Rwf23 billion has been invested in nearly 1,300 community projects since the programme began.
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