eBusiness Weekly
Following a successful partnership with Arsenal, Rwanda has now signed a deal with French football club, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), arguably the most successful club in French history.
The PSG deal aims at promoting the visibility of Rwandan brands and tourism.
The Paris-based club, that goes by the nickname, Les Parisiens, has of recent attracted world class players such as Neymar Jr, Kylian Mbappé and Edinson Cavani.
The three-year deal will see local fashion and design, Rwandan art and culture, coffee and tea and well as tourist attractions gain visibility through the club.
Rwandan tea and coffee will exclusively be sold at Le Parc des Princes, the home stadium of PSG with a capacity of close to 48 000.
According to Rwanda Development Board Chief Executive Clare Akamanzi, the new deal also provides visibility opportunities showcasing Rwanda and “Visit Rwanda” on backdrop banners and stadium installations, “Visit Rwanda” on the women’s team as well as the training kits for men.
Other brand visibility opportunities will include a week-long display of Rwandan brands.
The deal will also cater to football development in the country with avenues to nature and mentor emerging talents.
Akamanzi says that the deal seeks to build on the current partnership with Arsenal FC to further boost the brand awareness on the global scale
The greatest beneficiaries of the partnership include tea and coffee producers as consumption of their products in the stadium is expected to further drive demand in the European market.
“The other is Fashion, we are going to be working with PSG to select players in the Rwandan Fashion industry to elevate them and showcase them to the world using PSG platforms,” Akamanzi said.
“The other is Art, players in the creative industry such as Inema arts should be getting ready. In addition to that, when we do our Paris week. We will be showcasing all the other industries,” she added.
On the readiness of Rwandan brands on the international market, Akamanzi said that a number are ready and there is a plan to support local products to elevate their standards.
PSG has a large following in Europe, which the government is seeking to capitalize on to increase brand awareness, especially among the youthful audience. The club, owned by the state of Qatar, through the take over Qatar Sports Investment in 2011, is among the top richest clubs in the world, and number one in France.
According to Delloite, in the 2017-18 season, PSG recorded the 6th-highest revenue in the world with annual turnover of close to US$600 million. — The New Times (Rwanda).
