Dr. Diane Gashumba, the new Rwandan Ambassador to Sweden and Nordic countries, presented her letters of credence to King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden on November 16. Dr. Gashumba was appointed Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden in June this year, she has previously served as Minister of Health. Prior to that, she worked as Minister of Gender and Family Promotion. King Gustaf acknowledged the difficult and painful period of the 1994 Genocide, against the Tutsi and commended Rwanda’s post-Genocide recovery. Gashumba briefed His Majesty on the high importance the government of Rwanda gives to the security of its citizens to ensure peace and stability. She also shared on the successful joint and multidisciplinary effort that has led to tremendous progress being made with preventive measures including vaccinations against Covid-19. “Rwanda was able to limit huge damages from the pandemic due to the trust between the Rwandan communities, their leaders, and scientists,” she added. On that note, his majesty emphasized the importance of not overlooking the mental health of healthcare workers during this challenging time. Gashumba commended the invaluable contribution of partners such us Swedish International Development Agency in upholding higher education in Rwanda including science studies. Over 100 Rwandan Ph.D. scholars have pursued studies in Sweden, as a result of faculty exchange programs. She also said that Rwanda was keen on strengthening its relations with Sweden, especially through trade and investment, citing the agreement between the government of Rwanda and BioNTech in manufacturing vaccines in Rwanda as an example. She added that there are ongoing discussions to engage the Swedish private Sector in top priorities such as vaccine manufacturing, green growth and trade, and investment. Discussing gender equality, Gashumba commended Her Majesty Queen Silvia’s work to safeguard the right of the child to a safe and loving childhood and work to improve the living conditions for children at risk of becoming victims of violence or sexual abuse. She mentioned the same efforts being made in Rwanda with the establishment of the National Child Development Agency and one-stop centers to help in the fight against GBV and women’s and children’s rights. The ambassador also met with the Rwandan community from the Stockholm area, who welcomed her to Sweden. The Rwandan Embassy to the Nordic countries is accredited to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland.
