Not from Tangier: Formula 1 returns to Africa after an absence since 1993

Formula 1 is heading back to Africa after more than three decades away. The destination, though, isn't Morocco and that long-touted circuit project near Tangier. It's Rwanda, who have landed an official agreement to host a new race during the coming decade.

Formula 1 announced today, via its official website, the signing of a ten-year deal to stage the African Grand Prix in Rwanda, with the race set to join the calendar in the early 2030s.

That takes the championship back to Africa for the first time since 1993, when the Kyalami circuit in South Africa staged the last Formula 1 race on the continent.

Organisers will build a new circuit in the Bugesera area, around 40 kilometres south of the capital Kigali, right next to the new Kigali International Airport.

Designers expect to develop the track to the top-grade standards set by the International Automobile Federation, using the area's natural landscape and elevation changes to produce a distinctive layout that challenges the drivers and keeps the fans watching.

Why did Formula 1 choose Rwanda?

Expansion is the driving force. Formula 1 wants new audiences, and the championship points to more than 100 million fans in Africa. The key markets in sub-Saharan Africa boast a young fan base, with around 60% of supporters aged under 35.

Rwanda, meanwhile, are banking on the race to strengthen their standing as an international destination for sporting and tourism events, attract investment, create jobs and develop local talent.

Stefano Domenicali, Formula 1's president and chief executive, confirmed that returning to Africa represents a long-term goal for the championship. He stressed the agreement goes beyond staging a single race, promising sustainable economic and social benefits through tourism, investment and skills development.

Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda, called the agreement an investment in his country's future, confirming that the circuit and the new international airport will help provide jobs and boost tourism and business over the long term.

And what about the Tangier project?

Plans for a circuit capable of hosting Formula 1 near the Moroccan city of Tangier had generated plenty of interest in earlier reports, part of a vision to develop an integrated tourism and leisure complex.

But the project never reached, according to the available information, an official announcement granting Morocco the right to host one of the championship's rounds.

Attention now turns to Rwanda as the African destination with an official Formula 1 agreement in hand. The date of the inaugural race, the final details of the circuit's development and the plans for the race weekend all remain to be announced.

It's a new chapter for a championship that has been absent from the continent since 1993, and one that F1 hope will broaden motorsport's fan base and strengthen its presence in Africa.