President Kagame, Ben Sulayem, FIA President and other officials join a team of young engineers from Rwanda Polytechnic who built the first FIA Level 2 Affordable Cross Car produced in Africa, with the support of the global motorsport body.
Despite Africa producing immense sports talent, the continent is often left out on lucrative global sports events, with most of the young sports talents exported to other parts of the world to look for opportunities.
President Paul Kagame says it’s about time this trend is changed for the continent to take part in the multibillion dollar sports industry, attracting some of the renowned sporting events and shows, just as other parts of the world do.
The Head of State made the observation on Thursday at a cocktail hosted in honour of members of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), led by Ben Sulayem, FIA President, FIA World Motor Sport Council members, members of the Rwanda Automobile Club, representatives of automobile clubs and motorsport federations across the world, rally champions and enthusiasts, ahead of FIA annual awards ceremony scheduled for Friday, December 13.
Speaking at the colourful event held at Kigali Convention Centre (KCC), President Kagame said that Rwanda hosting the FIA events is proof that Africa has what it takes to claim and attract a fair share of global sporting events, whether it is motorsport or otherwise, with deliberate efforts and a clear understanding of what needs to be done.
Before the event, President Kagame and FIA President Sulayem witnessed the unveiling of the first FIA Level 2 Affordable Cross Car produced in Africa, manufactured locally by Rwandan polytechnic students in partnership with FIA and the Rwanda Automobile Club.
FIA President Sulayem explains to President Kagame the technology behind the the first FIA Level 2 Affordable Cross Car produced in Africa.
The event also recognized the top 3 Rwandan artists who emerged as the winners of an art competition celebrating FIA’s 120th anniversary. President Kagame said that what the young people are capable of doing shows the immense potential the continent has -what is needed is an opportunity to be part of the global activities.
“Just before we came in, Muhammad and I were able to visit the car that was made here in Rwanda by very young talented
students from our technical schools. FIA has been behind that, so it’s transferring knowledge, encouraging people to develop and show their talent and skill in different things they can be able to create, to make, to innovate,” President Kagame said.
“FIA, I want to thank you Muhammad, I want to thank you very much and Rwandans appreciate that you’re all here but it’s not just for Rwanda. I want you to understand that through your presence here and the actions that you’ve carried out go as far as the boundaries of this country. It’s for Africa,” he added.
In an apparent reference to recent reports that Formula 1 is looking to start a race on the African continent, with Rwanda and South Africa among the countries being floated, President Kagame said that it is about time Africa also got to host some of these global events, rather than Africans remaining as spectators who go to other continents to watch sports.
“It’s long overdue for many things to be happening here in Africa, yet Africa produces enormous talented young people everywhere on the continent. In different fields of sports, they show up in large numbers but they are limited by access to opportunity and your presence here in Rwanda is writing a story about how that opportunity can come to our continent,” the Head of State said.
President Kagame said Africa can claim a fair share of global sporting events rather than just exporting talent.
With Rwanda hosting the FIA Awards, President Kagame said that the message is loud and clear that instead of Africa exporting talent all the time to other places, it can also be bred, grown and be seen to stay in Africa, for Africans to also partake in the talent they produce. However, that would start with making the sports industry more lucrative and attractive.
President Kagame said that it doesn’t mean that Africans can stop being part of the rest of the world or stop people from going wherever they want but before that, the continent should also develop an industry that can be attractive to its own people and people from other places to come to come to Africa for opportunities as Africans go elsewhere.
He pointed out that before Africa exports its own talent, the young people should first explore what the continent has to offer in sports like motorsport and other fields and moving elsewhere comes as a personal choice.
He urged FIA representatives to collect enough information and data, to inform whatever decision they might make but Africa remains open and ready for such opportunities, despite the continent being portrayed in a different image in the media and on the internet.
American TV Steve Harvey was among the attendees.
President Kagame poses with the winners of the art competition.
