Louise Mushikiwabo says her eight years leading the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie have been defined by reforms aimed at making the institution more focused on results as she seeks a third term in office.
Speaking to Africa24 ahead of the OIF leadership election, Mushikiwabo said the most important change since she took office in 2019 was streamlining the organisation’s activities and concentrating limited resources on programmes with measurable impact.
She said OIF had reduced the number of its projects from about 40 to 15 after reviewing how its programmes were being implemented.
“If I had to choose among all the reforms carried out since 2019, I would say the most important was streamlining the OIF’s activities and aligning them more closely with its mandate,” she said.
Mushikiwabo said changing the mindset of member states was harder than changing the organisation’s structures because countries had different priorities and expectations.
Among the programmes she highlighted was La Francophonie Avec Elles, a fund launched during the COVID-19 pandemic to support women whose livelihoods were affected by the crisis.
She said OIF committed nearly 3 million euros to projects supporting women in member countries, particularly those hardest hit by the pandemic. The programme was later incorporated into the organisation’s regular activities.
The fund has so far reached nearly 100,000 women, she said, adding that her ambition is to expand it to at least 1 million beneficiaries.
On youth, Mushikiwabo said more than 21,000 young people had received vocational and digital skills training through programmes including D-CLIC. She said the figure should be increased, with a first target of reaching 100,000 young people through cooperation with the African Development Bank.
She said she was seeking another term because she still had the energy to continue the work started during her first two mandates.
The election is scheduled for Nov. 16 in Phnom Penh, where OIF member states will choose a secretary-general for the 2027-2030 term. Four candidates are contesting the position: Mushikiwabo, DR Congo’s Juliana Amato Lumumba, Mauritania’s Coumba Bâ and former Romanian prime minister Dacian Cioloș.
Mushikiwabo was first elected in 2018 and began her term in 2019. She was re-elected in 2022.
