Carousel Ltd has launched a national lottery in Rwanda with a goal to contribute in uplifting professional sport in the country.

The lottery, which is being launched in partnership with the Ministry of Sports, will operate under the commercial brand – Inzozi Lotto.

Proceeds from the lottery will go to the Ministry of Sports which will then invest in line with Rwanda’s Sports Development Policy.

The policy aims at nurturing high calibre sports for women and men, including those with disabilities so they can be competitive at both the national and international stage.

To achieve this, Rwanda will have to invest in sports infrastructure and technical skills from the grassroots level all the way up.

Launching the lottery on Friday, December 10, sports minister Aurore Mimosa Munyangaju said Inzozi Lottery has come at the right time as the ministry looks forward to a win-win partnership with Carousel LTD through the lottery towards elevating the level of sports in Rwanda.

"Our sports sector has for years faced persistent challenges around talent development from the grassroots. We are excited to welcome Carousel Ltd whose lottery can financially contribute in achieving our sport development agenda,” Munyangaju said.

"We hope the partnership we signed with Carousel will help us achieve our goals in discovering and developing new talents in different sports,” she added.

She called on stakeholders to work together to overcome the existing challenges that hinder effective development of sports including limited financial capacity.

According to the signed partnership, Carousel has committed to contribute 20 percent of the total revenues made from the lottery to the Ministry’s sport development initiatives.

Thierry Nshuti the Deputy Managing Director of Carousel LTD explained that the company is committed to Rwanda and with their 10-year licence they will be here for a long time and look forward to Rwandan sports stars excelling at the global scene.

"This model has worked before. If you watched the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, the medal winners from the UK acknowledged the support from their national lottery. We are now building the foundation for success,” Nshuti said.

Carousel Ltd is working with former men’s national basketball team skipper Aristide Mugabe, women’s national Volleyball team captain Charlotte Nzayisenga and female sitting volleyball player Sandrine Nyirambarushimana, as its brand ambassadors who will be helping it in the promotion of the lottery.

Inzozi Lotto will begin with two games, the Quick Lotto that will have draws every 30 mins and the Jackpot Lotto that will have draws every week.

Inzozi Lotto tickets range from Rwf100 – 500 and can be purchased from agents on the streets, from mobile by dialing *240# or through the Inzozi Lotto website (https://www.inzozilotto.rw)

Only persons aged 18 and above are allowed to play in Inzozi Lotto.