Regional tourism champion Carmen Nibigira who passed on, in Kenya, on November 16, following an illness will be laid to rest on Sunday, November 24, according to her family.

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A related statement indicates that a funeral mass will be held at Centre Christus in Kigali at 2:00 p.m., followed by the burial at Rusororo Cemetery, later at 4:00 p.m.

Born in Burundi in 1978, Nibigira had dedicated more than 24 years to advancing the hotel and tourism industry. At the time of her passing, she served as the Lead for Tourism and Hospitality Management within the Rwanda Programs team at the Mastercard Foundation.

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Among others, Nibigira was a project director at Horwath HTL and a global leader in hospitality consulting. She began her career in 2000 and held various roles, including managing tour operation companies across Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda and overseeing an international hotel in Tanzania.

Between 2015 and 2017, she was the regional coordinator of the East Africa Tourism Platform and was formerly the Director General of the Burundi National Tourism Office. Her contribution to the hospitality sector earned her recognition, including the African Women in Tourism Leadership Award. In 2017, she was named one of the Top 100 Influential Women in Travel.

Beyond her professional achievements, the mother of two boys aged 17 and 19 was an advocate for women's education and socio-economic empowerment.

She was also on the Board of Directors for the Akilah Institute for Women in Rwanda.