The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) has entered into a 20-year agreement with Vivendi Group, a French mass media company, for the development and occupancy of the Kigali Cultural Village (KCV).

The KCV project, which will be on Rebero Hill in Kicukiro Sector, aims to diversify Rwanda’s tourism offering by opening up new cultural entertainment avenues.

Covering 30.1 hectares, the US$40m project will showcase Rwanda’s traditional and contemporary arts, nature, biodiversity, traditional lifestyle and history.

The first phase, costing between $3m and $4m, is expected be completed in six months and will include a 300-seat cinema hall, an open concert area accommodating 15 000 people, a food court and a children’s gaming area. The facility will run on sustainable energy.

The venues will host 19 movie sessions a week, live concerts, cultural and artistic festivals, seminars and conferences.

Phase two will include Universal recording studios, Escape games, Gameloft E-gaming laboratory and testing factory, a children’s playground, bars and restaurants and the Canal Factory, a compact TV, cinema and music recording studio. It will be dedicated to Rwandan talents and students wishing to be trained in cinematography.

Speaking after the signing ceremony, Clare Akamanzi, RDB CEO, said: “RDB welcomes this new investment as we seek to diversify Rwanda’s tourism offerings and increase annual receipts to $800 million by 2024. This investment is a good step forward for the country’s MICE strategy, which has been growing remarkably over the years.”