In 2018, Rwanda spent $40 million to be on the sleeve of Arsenal’s jersey.

Everyone thought they were nuts.

This was a country nine times smaller than the UK - with a GDP of $10 billion and an average income of $700 per Rwandan.

So - why were they paying off one of the richest football clubs in the world?

Well, Rwanda had a plan.

They wanted to flip their painful past on its head and be a top destination for tourism and business.

The campaign, “Visit Rwanda” was born to bring the world to Rwanda.

And they invested heavy - into football.

Rwanda dropped $40 million to get onto Arsenal’s jersey.

And the deals didnt stop with Arsenal:

- Rwanda paid 10 million Euros to sponsor Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2019.

- Last year, Bayern Munich signed a five-year deal with Rwanda (but they kept the dollar figure sealed..)

These clubs promote Rwanda with “Visit Rwanda” in their stadiums on game days and on their jerseys.

So why football?

Well, Rwanda figured that football isn’t just a game.

It’s a movement.

Stadiums get packed with fans who are emotionally attached to these clubs - through wins and losses.

And brands want to get in on this passion.

So it's not surprising that football sponsorships is a $39.36 billion industry.

But it seems that there’s value for money.

That Arsenal sleeve gets seen 35 million times a day.

Now, Rwanda is in that global spotlight.

And the millions have come back around:

In 2022, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain generated over $160 million in media value for Rwanda.

And five years since the Visit Rwanda campaign kicked off:

- Tourism revenue soared to $620 million, from $438 in 2017

- Over 1.4 million tourists visited Rwanda last year (3x more than in 2021)

But football is just one thing Rwanda bet big on.

Today on Tech Safari, Mercy Awiti is diving Rwanda's full Visit Rwanda playbook.