Rwanda signs 10-year deal to host African Grand Prix from early 2030s

Rwanda has signed a 10-year agreement to host an African Grand Prix from the early 2030s, according to BBC Sport. The deal would return Formula 1 to Africa for the first time since the 1993 South African Grand Prix, although a specific date for the inaugural Rwandan race has not been confirmed.

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F1 president Stefano Domenicali announced the agreement in Kigali alongside Rwandan President Paul Kagame and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. The BBC reported that securing an African race has been an ambition of Liberty Media since it bought Formula 1 at the start of 2017. Lewis Hamilton has also repeatedly supported bringing the championship to the continent.

The proposed venue is in Bugesera, about 25 miles south of Kigali, near a new international airport that is under construction. The circuit forms part of a wider development incorporating hotels, residential accommodation, entertainment, sports science facilities and an innovation hub. The site remains undeveloped, with the BBC reporting that insiders expect the project could be completed by 2030.

Former F1 driver Alex Wurz is designing the track. Current plans envisage a circuit approximately six kilometres long, with 17 corners and nearly 200 metres of elevation change, using the area's uneven terrain. Those specifications are not final: teams and drivers will be consulted further before the layout is settled.

Kagame presented the project as a means of generating employment, developing skills and attracting tourism and business. Rwanda says financing will come through a newly established development fund combining public and private investment. The country last month launched a five-year plan aimed at attracting £3.5bn in private investment as part of its broader economic development programme.

The agreement has also drawn human rights criticism. Amnesty International UK's head of campaigns, Felix Jakens, accused Rwanda of using major sports partnerships to improve its image and divert attention from its human rights record. He called on Formula 1 to use its relationship with the authorities to press for change.

Formula 1 said the race offered an opportunity to reach 100 million people across Africa and argued that sport could have a positive influence. Its human rights charter commits the organisation to respecting internationally recognised rights in its global operations, while describing its focus as areas where it has direct influence.