The International Francophone Organization confirmed Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Louise Mushikiwabo as its head.
The organization was created in 1970 and is comprised of 58 countries and regional governments, and represents 274 million French speakers.
French is already the fifth most-spoken language in the world, and 31 of the 54 countries in Africa have French as an official language.
When Rwandan President Paul Kagame visited Paris in May, it seemed Rwanda was destined to win this seat.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron declared his support, saying Mushikiwabo had “every quality for the job.”
‘‘We moved to English because that is where our economic life, which is mostly in East Africa, lies. But it didn’t take away our French-speaking heritage,’‘ Mushikiwabo said in an interview with the East African. ‘‘Don’t be surprised if you see more and more non-French-speaking Rwandans going to French, because we’re now going to lead this organization for the next four years.”
Sources: RFI (France), All Africa