Rwanda will spend at least $212, 000 (approx. Rwf122m) in South Africa during a month-long exhibition at the World Cup which kicks off June 11, Florence Kayiraba, the Programme Coordinator revealed in an interview with The New Times.

30 people, who include officials, exhibitors and cultural dancers, were selected to take part in the exhibition and the money will be used to sponsor them.

Kayiraba who is also Kicukiro district vice Mayor in charge of social affairs, said the funds, will cater for Air Tickets, construction of the Rwandan Villages in South Africa, accommodation and airlifting Rwandan products to be exhibited.

Rwanda, the only African country that did not qualify for the World Cup invited to showcase and perform at the opening ceremony, will build two podiums - ‘Rwanda Villages’, where the country’s products will be exhibited, in the World Cup host cities of Tshwane and Durban.

Among the products to be showcased are coffee, tea, art and crafts, as well as the investment opportunities in ICT, Tourism and the Kigali City Master Plan.

Kayiraba said that the people who will build the two villages departed on Tuesday. She added that they are in talks with the Private Sector Federation whether people who can be able to sponsor themselves and exhibit their products.

"If this goes well, we will see the number of exhibitors increase, which is what we want,” Kayiraba said.

Rwanda’s invitation to showcase during World Cup follows a long standing relationship between Kigali and the South Africa’s cities of Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban.

Ends