Motorsport fans, start planning: Formula 1 has signed a 10-year agreement to hold an African Grand Prix in Rwanda, with the first race pencilled in for the early 2030s. It will be the first F1 race on African soil in more than three decades — the last was at Kyalami, near Johannesburg, back in 1993.
The new circuit will be built in Bugesera, roughly 40 km south of the capital Kigali, right next to the brand-new Kigali International Airport that is currently under construction. The track is being designed to FIA Grade 1 standards — the level required to host a world championship race — by a team that includes Tilke, DAR and WurzDesign, the studio co-founded by former F1 driver Alexander Wurz. Formula 1 says the layout will use the area's natural elevation changes to make for a challenging, distinctive circuit rather than a flat, generic one.
The deal is presented by Visit Rwanda, the country's tourism body, which has been steadily building Rwanda's profile as a destination through sports partnerships. And it's not meant to be a one-off spectacle: beyond race weekends, the complex is intended to host international motorsport, conferences and major entertainment events year-round. Rwandan President Paul Kagame framed the project as a long-term investment expected to bring jobs, skills, tourism and business to the region for decades — the explicit goal, he said, was never a single race weekend.
For travellers, the timing matters. Rwanda already has strong draws — gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, the清理 streets and hills of Kigali, and lake resorts around Rubavu — and a Grand Prix will put the country on millions of screens each year, likely bringing better flight connections, more hotels and improved infrastructure to the Bugesera-Kigali corridor well before the first lights-out.
A caveat worth knowing: the first race is still years away, in the early 2030s, and circuit construction timelines can shift. But the agreement is signed, the design team is in place, and Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has called the return to Africa a long-term commitment made 'in the right way, with the right partner'.
If you've ever wanted to combine a bucket-list trip with world-class motorsport, Rwanda is now the African country to watch. Get in before the crowds do.
