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Banking group lands naming rights to Kigali Arena

BK Group, the parent company of the Bank of Kigali, has today (Tuesday) been announced as the naming-rights sponsor of Kigali Arena, the largest indoor arena in East Africa.

As part of the agreement, the 10,000-seat venue will be officially known as the BK Arena for the next six years. The venue opened in the Rwandan capital in the summer of 2019 after work on the project was completed in just six months.

The deal is worth $8m (£6.4m/€7.5m), which is said to be the biggest arena naming-rights partnership on the African continent.

BK Group agreed the deal with the Government of Rwanda and QA Venue Solutions Rwanda, which manages the arena. As part of the deal, BK Group will launch a dedicated card that locals can use to buy tickets for events at the arena.

BK Group chief executive Diane Karusisi said: “We’re proud to see our name on the iconic BK Arena through this partnership with QAVS and the GoR.

“At BK Group, we are constantly devising strategies to get closer to our customers and today we are starting an exciting partnership that will strengthen BK Group’s positioning in Rwanda and on the continent, and allow sport and entertainment fans to enjoy the best experiences while also promoting cashless payments.”

The arena hosted the inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) last year and is also staging the playoffs and final of this season’s competition. The BAL is a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and North America’s NBA.

The newly-named BK Arena also hosts tennis events, concerts and conferences.

Image: Bank of Kigali