Rwandan president Paul Kagame announced his country's bid for a Formula One race, ahead of an awards ceremony in the capital Kigali that will hand the champion's trophy to Max Verstappen for a fourth year in a row, Report informs via Reuters.
Formula One has not raced in Africa since the last South African Grand Prix was held at Kyalami, north of Johannesburg, in 1993.
"I am happy to formally announce that Rwanda is bidding to bring the thrill of racing back to Africa by hosting a Formula One Grand Prix," Kagame said in an opening address to the governing FIA's General Assembly.
"A big thank you to (Formula One chief executive) Stefano (Domenicali) and the entire team at F1, for the good progress in our discussions so far.
"I assure you that we are approaching this opportunity with the seriousness and commitment which it deserves. Together we will build something we can all be proud of."
Domenicali said in August that Rwanda wanted to host a race at a permanent circuit.
Media reports say the track, to be designed by a company run by Austrian former F1 racer Alexander Wurz, would be near a new international airport under construction at Bugesera some 40km from Kigali.