Democratic Republic of Congo to pay Barcelona over €40 million for tourism promotion

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has entered into a sponsorship agreement worth over €40 million ($46.4 million) with Spanish football club FC Barcelona, aiming to promote the country as a tourist destination despite ongoing internal conflict.

The four-year deal, dated June 29, will see the slogan “The Heart of Africa” featured on the backs of FC Barcelona’s men’s and women’s training and warm-up jerseys, according to a report by Reuters.

The DRC-branded logo will also appear in club advertisements, the annual report, and the club magazine.

The sponsorship, which has not yet been officially announced, will cost the Congolese government between €10 million and €11.5 million annually. It forms part of a broader strategy to rebrand the conflict-hit Central African nation as a hub for tourism and investment.

This deal follows similar, undisclosed agreements with European clubs AS Monaco and AC Milan. Congolese sports minister Didier Budimbu said the Monaco contract is worth €1.6 million per season, while a government source said the AC Milan deal is valued at €14 million annually.

In June, Tourism Minister Didier M’Pambia described the partnerships as a move to “reposition the DRC on the international stage as an undisputed leader on the African continent.”

The deal has sparked discussion, given the DRC government’s vocal criticism earlier this year of other African tourism campaigns.

In February, Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner called on Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain to sever ties with Rwanda’s “Visit Rwanda” sponsorships, which she described as “blood-stained” amid rising regional tensions.