FC Barcelona have signed a “strategic partnership” deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), aimed at attracting tourists and investors to the central African nation.
The deal, which was initially announced in June of this year, covers four seasons and represents a financial commitment of more than €40 million for Kinshasa, or between €10 and €11.5 million per year, according to DR Congo ministry of tourism.
The initiative stipulates that all of Barça’s professional teams will feature the slogan “DRC – Heart of Africa” on their training jerseys until the 2028-2029 season. The slogan will also appear on the club’s communication materials and in the future Espai Barça, which will house a “House of the DRC”—an immersive space designed to showcase the country’s cultural and sporting wealth to the stadium’s millions of visitors.
On the sporting front, the partnership includes the creation, through Barça Academies, of a multi-sport program for Congolese youth—soccer, basketball, handball, futsal, and rink hockey—and the development of coaching training with the Barça Innovation Hub.
This contract with the Catalan club is the biggest in a series of agreements recently concluded by the DR Congo. Kinshasa has also signed with AC Milan, for approximately €14 million per year, and with AS Monaco, for €1.6 million per season. In total, the commitments exceed €100 million.
Congolese officials say these operations are part of an “international repositioning” strategy aimed at attracting tourists and investors. This method has already been used by other African countries, such as Rwanda with Arsenal or PSG, as part of a “deliberate nation branding” approach.