‘Visit Rwanda’ signs £30m deal to sponsor Arsenal kit

RWANDA has struck a £30million deal to sponsor Arsenal despite receiving millions of pounds in UK foreign aid.

The impoverished African country will have its “Visit Rwanda” tourism slogan appear on the football club’s shirts while Paul Kagame, the president, and his associates will reportedly have access to a hospitality box at the team’s Emirates Stadium in London.

Rwanda is in line to receive £62million from the UK’S £13billion foreign aid budget this year alone.

Critics of the aid budget have described the situation as “ludicrous”.

Mr Kagame, an Arsenal supporter, has previously been accused of following in the footsteps of a raft of African leaders who have rewritten their constitutions in order to stay in power.

Last year he was swept back into office for a third time after securing 99 per cent of the vote, having already ruled for 17 years. He could now remain in office until 2034. He has been criticised for stifling opposition and silencing the country’s media.

The Arsenal deal is worth £10million a year for the next three years, according to The Mail on Sunday.

Andrew Bridgen, a Conservative MP, described the deal as “absolutely astonishing”. He said: “British taxpayers will be rightly shocked to learn that a country supported by huge handouts from the UK is in turn pumping millions into a fabulously rich football club in London. It’s ludicrous.”

A Department for International Development (DFID) spokesman said: “DFID does not give any money to Visit Rwanda or the Rwanda Development Board. All UK aid to Rwanda is earmarked for specific programmes only, such as education and agriculture. We are helping Rwanda to stand on its own two feet, building education systems, and supporting increased trade and investment to grow the economy.”

An Arsenal spokesman said: “Rwanda … is now regarded as one of the most advanced and respected countries in Africa.

“We believe that, having conducted due diligence, it is a partnership that will help Rwanda meet tourism goals while developing football in the country.”