Espérance Nyirasafari is a lawyer and politician in
Rwanda
Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...
, who serves as one of two Vice Presidents of the
Senate of Rwanda
The upper house of the Parliament of Rwanda (; ) is the Senate (''Sena''/''Sénat''). The Senate has 26 members elected or appointed for eight-year terms: 12 elected by provincial councils, eight appointed by the List of Presidents of Rwanda, Pre ...
, effective 17 October 2019.
She was appointed to the Senate by the President of Rwanda, on 22 September 2019.
Before that, she served as the
cabinet minister
A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ' prime minister', ' p ...
at the Ministry of Sports and Culture, from 18 October 2018,
until 22 September 2019.
Prior to that, from 5 October 2016 until 18 October 2018, she was the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion] (Migeprof).
Background and education
Espérance was born in Rwanda to Rwandan parents; both of whom were killed in the 1994
Rwanda Genocide
The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, occurred from 7 April to 19 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. Over a span of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and T ...
, when she was still young.
Career
In 2009, she served as the permanent secretary in the Rwanda ministry of justice.
At the time of her ministerial appointment, on 5 October 2016, she is reported to have been a member of the
Rwandan Parliament.
She replaced
Diane Gashumba
Diane Gashumba is a Rwandan pediatrician, medical administrator, politician, diplomat and Rwandan Ambassador-designate to the Kingdom of Sweden since June 12, 2021. She served as Minister of Health in the cabinet of Prime Minister Edouard Ngiren ...
as minister at Migeprof, who became the Rwanda Minister of Health.
In the cabinet reshuffle of 31 August 2017, Espérance Nyirasafari retained her portfolio at Migeprof.
As cabinet minister, she advocates mutual respect among married couples to promote family harmony.
In a cabinet reshuffle on 18 October 2018, Espérance Nyirasafari was appointed Cabinet Minister of Sports and Culture.
She joined the reshuffled cabinet of President
Paul Kagame
Paul Kagame ( ; born 23 October 1957) is a Rwandan politician and former military officer who has been the President of Rwanda since 2000. He was previously a commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a rebel armed force which invaded ...
who reduced the members of cabinet from 31 to 26. The cabinet is 50% women, making Rwanda, with
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
, the only two African countries with gender equality in their governments.
Personal
Espérance Nyirasafari is a married mother.
See also
*
Parliament of Rwanda
The Parliament of Rwanda ( French: ''Parlement du Rwanda''; Kinyarwanda: ''Inteko Ishinga Amategeko y’u Rwanda'') has consisted of two chambers since 2003:
*The Senate (French: ''Sénat''; Kinyarwanda: ''Sena'') ( Upper Chamber)
*The Chamber ...
References
External links
Website of the Rwanda Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion
Living people
Rwandan lawyers
Rwandan women lawyers
Women government ministers of Rwanda
Culture ministers of Rwanda
Sports ministers of Rwanda
Members of the Parliament of Rwanda
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century Rwandan women politicians
21st-century Rwandan politicians
{{Rwanda-politician-stub