Rwanda will host its first-ever Sunshine Tour event later this year after the country’s flagship golf tournament, the Rwanda Open, was added to the calendar of one of Africa’s leading professional golf circuits.
The milestone is expected to raise Rwanda’s profile in international golf while advancing the country’s strategy of using major sporting events to promote tourism and position itself as a regional sports destination.
The partnership was officially announced on Tuesday by the Ministry of Sports, the Rwanda Golf Federation, Kigali Golf Resort & Villas and Sunshine Tour officials.
The 2026 Rwanda Open will be played from Sept. 24 to Sept. 27 at Kigali Golf Resort & Villas, bringing together top professional and amateur golfers from Rwanda and several other countries, including South Africa, the Netherlands, France, Chile and the United Kingdom.
Officials said the tournament’s inclusion on the Sunshine Tour calendar marks a turning point for golf in Rwanda by giving local players the opportunity to compete against established international professionals while increasing the country’s visibility on the continental golf circuit.
“This is the first Sunshine Tour event to be hosted in Rwanda,” said Gilbert Muvunyi Manier, Director General for Sports Development at the Ministry of Sports. “Hosting it is one achievement, but organizing it successfully will open the door to even bigger international competitions in the future.”
The tournament is supported by Visit Rwanda, whose sponsorship forms part of the country’s broader efforts to market Rwanda through international sporting events and strengthen sports tourism.
Tournament Director Innocent Rutamu said the new partnership reflects the progress Rwanda has made in developing golf over the past decade, including investments in modern facilities and player development.
“This tournament gives our golfers the chance to compete at a much higher level on home soil,” Rutamu said. “It also demonstrates how far golf has come in Rwanda.”
Among the Rwandan professionals expected to compete is Célestin Nsanzuwera, who will face a strong international field that includes South Africa’s Samuel Simpson, one of the Sunshine Tour’s top performers this season.
Organizers said the winner of the professional competition will receive a prize of approximately RWF 35 million, one of the largest purses in the tournament’s history.
Sunshine Tour Commissioner Thomas Abt said Rwanda had demonstrated both the infrastructure and organizational capacity needed to host an event of the circuit’s standard.
“We believe Rwanda is the right place for this tournament,” Abt said. “The country’s commitment to sport and its ability to host major international events give us confidence that the Rwanda Open can become a successful fixture on the Sunshine Tour calendar.”
First staged in 1997, the Rwanda Open has become the country’s premier golf tournament and has played a key role in developing local talent. Its elevation to Sunshine Tour status is expected to expand international exposure for the event while giving Rwanda another platform to showcase its growing reputation as a destination for world-class sporting competitions.
