Rwanda Development Board (RDB) has announced plan to host an annual Visit Rwanda Golf Challenge which will attract players from across the world.
The plans were announced at the inaugural Visit Rwanda Golf Challenge award ceremony held in Kigali this December 7, where over 204 golfers from various nationalities in Africa, Europe and Asia met.
Francis Gatare, the RDB Chief Executive Officer (CEO) said that the Golf resort and villa is contributing to the attractiveness of Rwanda and promoting sports tourism adding to the fact that the country has positioned itself as an investment destination.
Gatare said that while sports tourism is small, it is growing and events like Visit Rwanda Golf Challenge will continue to make it grow.
“We want to make this a regular event and so to all of you sponsors and partners, I am saying, we will give you a lot more opportunity to participate, to make the Visit Rwanda Golf Challenge a regular activity where you showcase talent, sell and promote products,” Gatare said.
The players participated in an 18 hole golf challenge held at the magnificent Kigali Golf Resort and Villas golf course- which was recently constructed with financing from the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB).
The challenge was part of the Global Citizen’s Move Africa Week closing events, the first of its kind that was held in Rwanda to celebrate and promote African innovations and talents.
Participants came from DR Congo, Ghana,Germany,France, Ethiopia, Sweden, Finland, India, Britain, Korean, Spain, Canada, Ireland and neighboring Uganda, Tanzania among others.
With investment in the 6,595 metres golf course, which has modern greens, fairways, equipment and structures, Andrew Kulayige, the Club Captain. said that Golf in Rwanda is now a lifestyle and having more women is a move towards success.
“Now we have many players competing and if we have more ladies playing this game, and we know they are good managers, we would put this game to another level. We therefore ask more sponsors to commit to encouraging more women in golf,” Kulayige said.
The President of KGC, Marcel Byusa said that the golf game has seen a growth in sponsors and partnership but the aspect of on-boarding women in the game was highly needed.
“If you want something to succeed, deploy women, if you want something done with precision, deploy women. We had 90 percent of the organizing team composed of women and we had nothing to do as men,” Byusa said.
The Winners
Rwanda dominated the challenge scooping most of the major trophies especially among the senior players (by age brackets).
Women golfers from Rwanda and Uganda came out strongly with good scores to secure top awards.
Guest winners: Adoch Luwum (Uganda) followed by Adrae Kagombe (Uganda) and Ankomah Paak (Ghana)
Guest Gross winners (overall) were Charles Kagombe (Uganda) followed by Paul Usu.
Senior men winners were led by Innocent Rutamu (Rwanda) followed by Rai Biru and Frank Mustaff, while Ambassador Gideon Kayinamura led the Gross winner (seniors) followed by Steven Rwabika.
Men Gross winner’s awards were scooped by young blood Benjamin Mukisa followed by Gerald Sezibera.
In the Ladies Categories: Lynda Mugeni scooped the Gross winner overall followed by Pamela Rwigema.
Mugeni also won the longest drive (ladies) while Stella Matutina got the nearest to pin (ladies).
The overall worst player (piga mingi) was James Karenzi- who got a reward for that.
