The sponsorship is the culmination of years of discussions and longstanding ties between Rwanda and senior figures at the Premier League club.
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.
According to a source familiar with the negotiations, the agreement was the result of extensive discussions involving multiple stakeholders.
“You don’t simply wake up one morning and sign a partnership like this,” the source told IGIHE. “These deals are built over time. For example, Visit Rwanda’s visibility in the United States was largely made possible through the existing relationship between Rwanda and Arsenal’s owners.”
Existing ties with Rwanda
Janet Karemera, Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB), which oversees the Visit Rwanda brand, said Aston Villa’s leadership already has a strong understanding of Rwanda and its long-term vision.
Speaking to The Athletic, Karemera revealed that one of the club’s investors has business interests in Rwanda, giving the club’s leadership firsthand knowledge of the country.
“They’re (Villa) going to come to Rwanda,” she said. “They’re going to visit. We have in our partnership the men’s team, women’s team are coming to visit. Also the executive leadership (team). On their board, they have a board member who’s already invested in Rwanda. So I think they’re very much aware of the country and its ambitions.”
The investor she referred to is American billionaire Wesley “Wes” Edens, whose fortune is estimated at approximately $2.5 billion.
Edens is a co-owner of Aston Villa through V Sports, the investment company he owns alongside Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris. Besides Aston Villa, V Sports also holds a 46 percent stake in Portuguese top-flight club Vitória S.C.
His sports portfolio extends beyond football. Edens is also a co-owner of NBA franchise Milwaukee Bucks.
Longstanding connection through basketball
Edens has maintained links with Rwanda through basketball. His energy company, New Fortress Energy, became an official partner of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), supporting efforts to promote affordable and renewable energy solutions while raising environmental awareness across the continent.
As part of the initiative, the company pledged to plant three trees for every three-point shot made during BAL games, with a target of planting 100,000 trees.
During the 2021 BAL season in Kigali, Edens attended matches at BK Arena alongside President Paul Kagame.
Speaking during that visit, he said his investments in sports combine personal passion with commercial opportunity.
“I am a sports nerd, I am still active in various activities. I think sports investment is the perfect marriage with business opportunities. I do not collect art, I do not do other activities. This is what I love, and these are serious business investments,” Eden stated.
Confidence in Rwanda’s investment climate
Edens also praised Rwanda as one of Africa’s most attractive investment destinations, pointing to its governance and long-term vision.
“I think that Rwanda is extraordinary. This is not only one of the cleanest cities on the continent but in the world. If you look back in the 1960s, the GDP of Singapore and Jamaica were roughly the same; in 60 years, things have changed dramatically. That is largely an effect of leadership.”
He credited President Kagame’s leadership for the country’s progress, arguing that Rwanda’s greatest resource is its people.
“For an economy that is not rich in mineral resources, people have been the resource, and there is an ambition for growth.”
Global exposure for Visit Rwanda
The partnership is expected to significantly boost Visit Rwanda’s international visibility.
Aston Villa’s home ground, Villa Park, has a capacity of 42,640 spectators. Across the club’s 19 Premier League home fixtures alone, more than 810,000 fans could attend matches in a single season if every game sells out, excluding domestic cup competitions and European fixtures.
The club is also expanding Villa Park, with plans to increase its capacity to more than 50,000 seats.
As part of the agreement, Rwandan coffee will be the exclusive coffee served at the stadium.
The club’s television reach also offers considerable exposure. Aston Villa’s FA Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur during the 2025/26 season attracted 6.5 million viewers in the United Kingdom, while its UEFA Europa League final against Freiburg drew 3.5 million viewers on TNT Sports.
More broadly, Aston Villa competes in the Premier League, the world’s most-watched domestic football competition, which is broadcast in 189 countries and reaches an estimated global audience of 1.87 billion people.
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.
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