By Jejje Muhinde:
Kigali Arena, the multi-purpose 10,000 seater sports and entertainment venue opened in 2019, has been renamed ‘BK Arena’.
The deal which is the first of its kind in Rwanda’s Sports and the biggest on the continent was signed on Tuesday 24, 2022 in Kigali.
It is valued at $7million (estimated Rwf 7billion franc) for the next six years.
BK Group Plc CEO, Dr. Diane Karusisi, said the agreement was expected to bring a lot of benefits, especially through reaching out to the youth as a sector that is making the building more productive.
“Kigali Arena welcomes various youth activities, and like BK we want to reach out to the youth, which is why we have come up with a card that will be used to buy tickets,” she said.
It is a card that will be pre-paid, and one will use it in a way known as “Prepaid”.
“So if we are as close to the youth as the strength of tomorrow’s Rwanda, it will move us forward in one way or another,” she said.
The Remera building in Kigali City was officially inaugurated on August 9, 2019.
Kyle Schofield, CEO, QA Venue Solutions said that the venue will be used for several different sports and entertainment activities to include tennis, volleyball, basketball, and motorsport-rally to mention but a few.
Together with the support of the Government of Rwanda, QAVSR was able to negotiate this record-breaking agreement to further position the venue as a progressive, trend-setting environment that will be fully immersed in the world of sports and entertainment in Africa and globally.
In the meantime, BK Arena is hosting the Africa Basketball League (BAL), which runs from 21-28 May 2022.
