🚨 RWANDA & FORMULA 1: PUT THE NUMBERS SIDE BY SIDE. Rwanda is reportedly preparing to host Formula 1 from 2030 on a new permanent circuit near Bugesera. Before calling this “development”, Rwandans deserve to see what it means in real numbers. The median monthly income of a paid employee in Rwanda is about 39,000 RWF. The average 3-day F1 ticket in 2026 costs $554 — roughly 817,000 RWF. That is about 21 months of median pay just for the ticket — before transport, food or accommodation. Meanwhile, Rwanda’s development needs remain enormous. In PISA 2025, only 8% of Rwandan students reached basic proficiency in mathematics and 13% in science. Rwanda’s HDI is 0.578, ranking 159th globally. UNICEF’s latest analysis shows that Rwanda allocates 1.711 trillion RWF to education, health, social protection and WASH combined. These allocations grew only 4.2% this year — below inflation — while their share of the national budget has fallen from 26.8% to 22% over five years. Now compare that with Formula 1. BBC Sport reported estimates of more than $270 million to build the Rwandan F1 project, plus an annual F1 hosting fee estimated at $15–50 million and around $18 million a year in track maintenance. $270 million is roughly 400 billion RWF. That means the estimated construction cost alone would equal roughly 23% of Rwanda’s entire annual allocation for education, health, social protection and WASH combined. And Rwanda’s 2026/27 budget already relies on nearly 1.97 trillion RWF in external loans. 🌍 This is why the international comparison matters. Malaysia — vastly richer and already equipped with a world-class F1 circuit — decided not to bring its Grand Prix back because doing so would require around $71 million every year, more than twice what its government spends on 20 national sports programmes. The Netherlands is ending its Grand Prix after 2026. France and Germany have also struggled to make their races financially viable. Hosting F1 is prestigious. That does not automatically make it good public investment. So this is not about being “against Formula 1”. It is about priorities and accountability. Before hundreds of millions are committed, Rwanda should publish: • the full construction cost • the annual hosting fee • the amount of public financing and guarantees • projected additional tourists • expected tax revenue • the break-even point • exactly how ordinary Rwandans are expected to benefit If the project truly pays for itself, the numbers should prove it. Until those numbers are public, the risk is obvious: Rwanda could be building one of Africa’s most expensive prestige projects in a country where basic investments in education, health and household incomes remain urgent. Formula 1 may bring global attention for one weekend. The real question is what Rwanda gets for the other 362 days.