Rwanda has signed a 10-year agreement with Formula 1 to host a Grand Prix on a purpose-built circuit outside Kigali, bringing the world championship back to Africa for the first time since 1993.

The deal was announced on Tuesday, 13 October, at a press conference in Kigali attended by Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Formula 1 President and Chief Executive Stefano Domenicali and Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the sport's governing body, the FIA.

The race will be known as the Formula 1 African Grand Prix, presented by Visit Rwanda. Formula 1 said the first edition is expected in the early 2030s, while Autosport reported that the opening race could take place as early as 2030, depending on when construction of the track is completed.

Circuit near new airport

The circuit, a natural road course that has yet to be built, will be located in Bugesera district, in Rwanda's Eastern Province, about 40 kilometres south of Kigali and next to the new international airport under construction in the area. It is being designed to meet FIA Grade 1 standards.

Former Formula 1 driver Alex Wurz and his company, WurzDesign, are working on the layout with Tilke Engineers and Architects, which designed the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. According to Autosport, the proposed anti-clockwise track will be about six kilometres long, with 17 corners and an elevation change of 197 metres per lap, taking advantage of the area's hilly terrain. Formula 1 said the final layout was still being worked on, and that further details on the circuit, construction schedule and race date would be released later.

According to Formula 1, the venue is part of a wider development intended to boost tourism, infrastructure and business opportunities, and the circuit is planned to host other motorsport events throughout the year. No investment figure has been made public.

Leaders hail "historic" moment

"Today belongs to Africa," President Kagame said, noting that the sport would be returning to a continent where it had not raced for more than three decades.

Mr Domenicali described the announcement as "a landmark moment for Formula 1" and said the sport would now race on every inhabited continent. "Africa has always been part of Formula 1's future," he said, according to the series' official website.

President Kagame also said the project would bring jobs, investment and tourism to Rwanda, according to News.GP. Formula 1 says it has more than 100 million fans across Africa.

FIA President Ben Sulayem said: "The return of the FIA Formula One World Championship to Africa is a historic moment for our sport."

Lewis Hamilton, who has long campaigned for a race in Africa, welcomed the deal. "It is, for me, the most important continent and the most beautiful continent," he said in comments published by Formula 1. Fellow driver George Russell added: "Formula 1 is a worldwide sport."

Africa's long wait

The last Formula 1 race on African soil was the 1993 South African Grand Prix at the Kyalami circuit near Johannesburg.

Talks with Rwanda accelerated in 2024, Autosport reported. The country has positioned itself as a host of major international sporting and motorsport events, staging the FIA's annual prize-giving ceremony in 2024 and the UCI Road World Championships in cycling last year.

What happens next

No race date has yet been set. According to Autosport, the timing of the first African Grand Prix will depend on when construction of the Bugesera circuit is completed, with 2030 the earliest possible start.

Photos: Steffen Prößdorf / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; World Travel & Tourism Council / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0