Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has affirmed his country’s wish to return Formula One to Africa.

The Rwandan Head of State made the announcement of Rwanda’s bid for a Grand Prix at the FIA General Assembly being hosted in the capital Kigali.  It is the first time the assembly has come to Africa. 

It has been three decades since Africa last hosted an F1 race. That was in 1993 at the Kyalami GP in South Africa.

“I am happy to formally announce that Rwanda is bidding to bring the thrill of racing back to Africa, by hosting a Formula 1 Grand Prix,” said President Kagame.

“A big thank you to Stefano Domenicali and the entire team at Formula 1 for the good progress in our discussions so far. I assure you that we are approaching this opportunity with seriousness and commitment which it deserves,” he added. 

The request for Rwanda to host a Grand Prix kicked off earlier in September when the F1 boss Stefano Domenicali met representatives from Rwanda. 

A bid for F1 to return to Africa has also been advocated for by seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton. 

“We can’t be adding races in other locations and continuing to ignore Africa, which the rest of the world just takes from. No one gives anything to Africa,” said Hamilton in an interview with F1 Sky Sports in August this year. 

However, the actualisation of the F1 event is not expected soon as the calendar for the next two years is almost streamlined which will give Rwanda enough time to plan for the grand prix. 

Meanwhile, all the motorsport champions will gather at BK Arena Kigali on Friday evening for the awards ceremony, marking the closure of the 2024 FIA Assembly and season. 

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