International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) Secretary-General Louise Mushikiwabo says she still has the energy and enthusiasm to lead the organisation, as she seeks a third term in an election scheduled for November 16 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
In an interview with Africa 24, Mushikiwabo said she was proud of what had been achieved during her time at the organisation but believed there was still work to do to strengthen its role among French-speaking countries.
“I love what I do, and I still have a lot of energy to serve this organisation,” she said.
Rwanda has endorsed her bid for another four-year term. Mushikiwabo was first elected in October 2018, becoming the first African woman to head the organisation, and was re-elected in 2022.
She said her administration had focused on improving the OIF’s governance and financial management, making its activities more relevant to young people and women, and increasing the organisation’s visibility internationally.
One of the challenges she described was the management of contributions from member states. She said the organisation had gone 13 years without an audit and a review of those contributions, prompting her to engage heads of state to encourage better payment and financial accountability.
Mushikiwabo also pointed to efforts to make the organisation’s programmes more focused and useful to the people they are intended to serve. She said young people and women needed to see practical benefits from the OIF’s work, rather than simply being included in its programmes.
She cited the organisation’s increased international engagement, including its participation in recent United Nations General Assembly activities, as part of efforts to raise its profile beyond the French-speaking world.
Her path to the OIF leadership began in Rwanda’s public service. After studying languages and literature in the United States, where she had moved in 1986, she worked in communications at the African Development Bank in Tunisia. She returned to Rwanda in 2008 after an invitation to join the government, first serving as Minister of Information and government spokesperson before becoming Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, a position she held for 10 years.
Mushikiwabo said growing up in a family of nine children he ohad shaped her early life. Her experience in the United States also taught her independence, budgeting and how to express and organise her ideas.
The OIF brings together 93 members, including 56 full members, five associate members and 32 observers. Its next leadership election will take place during trganisation’s 20th summit in Cambodia.
