The International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) has undergone various institutional, administrative and operational reforms under Louise Mushikiwabo, including changes to how its Secretary-General is elected, tighter financial management, decentralisation and a shift towards programmes with measurable results.

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One of the most notable changes is the introduction of a formal leadership selection process, replacing the largely informal diplomatic consultations that previously determined who headed the organisation.

Mushikiwabo, who was first elected Secretary-General in 2018 and re-elected in 2022, is seeking a third four-year mandate at the head of the organisation. The election is scheduled for November 16, during the 20th Francophonie Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

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She faces three challengers: Mauritania's Coumba Bâ, Juliana Amato Lumumba of DR Congo and former Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Cioloș.

The reforms, initiated during her first mandate and further implemented during her second, have sought to make the organisation more efficient, accountable and responsive to the needs of its member states and populations.

A new leadership election process

One of the most consequential governance reforms concerns the selection of the Secretary-General.

Since the creation of the position in 1997, the selection process had largely relied on bilateral diplomatic consultations and consensus-building among member states, without a formalised process for presenting and assessing competing candidates.

Under the revised rules adopted in March 2022, candidates must now apply through an open call, meet established eligibility requirements and submit their vision and priorities for the organisation.

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They are also required to present their programmes before foreign ministers representing member states during an extraordinary ministerial conference, giving countries an opportunity to assess their proposals before the election.

The new procedure was fully applied for the first time in 2026, when the four candidates presented their programmes and answered questions from member states’ representatives in Paris on June 30. The proceedings were recorded for subsequent public broadcast.

The final election remains the responsibility of heads of state and government. The rules provide for a consensus-based selection, with a formal vote by member states if consensus cannot be reached. The candidate receiving a simple majority of votes cast by members present and voting wins.

In an interview with France 24 in September, Mushikiwabo defended the new arrangement, saying she supported introducing a voting mechanism when consensus could not be reached. She described elections as a sign of institutional maturity and a democratic step for an organisation that has existed for more than five decades.

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Streamlining programmes and focusing on results

Mushikiwabo identifies the consolidation of the organisation's activities as the most significant reform of her administration.

In an October 2026 interview with Africa24, she explained that an organisational assessment conducted with professional firm KPMG in 2019 helped identify areas requiring change and establish priorities.

The review led to a reduction in the number of projects from approximately 40 to 15, allowing the OIF to concentrate its resources on initiatives aligned with its mandate and capable of delivering tangible benefits.

"If I had to choose from all the reforms engaged since 2019, I would say that the most significant is the consolidation of the activities of the OIF,” she said.

She also identified changing the organisation's working culture as one of the most difficult aspects, arguing that staff needed to move away from measuring performance through budgets and the number of activities towards assessing actual results for beneficiaries.

The approach has also seen the organisation abandon or restructure activities considered outdated or less impactful, while prioritising women and young people in its cooperation programmes.

Financial management and accountability

Another area of reform has been the modernisation of the OIF's financial and administrative management systems.

The organisation introduced a revised financial regulation in 2019, simplifying procedures, strengthening accountability and clarifying responsibilities at different levels of management.

It also reinforced internal auditing, risk management and internal controls, while introducing improved digital tools for managing finances and human resources.

The reforms sought to address longstanding administrative inefficiencies, including overlapping controls, cumbersome procedures and weaknesses in monitoring expenditure.

In a 2022 interview with Le Monde, Mushikiwabo acknowledged that the organisation’s management systems had previously been excessively complicated.

"When I arrived, the management systems were extremely cumbersome,” she said, explaining that the OIF had modernised its financial system and reduced its operations to concentrate on programmes that were working.

The administration also strengthened financial transparency through more rigorous external auditing and improved reporting to member states.

Decentralisation and stronger regional presence

During her second mandate, Mushikiwabo placed greater emphasis on implementing the reforms initiated during her first four years, particularly decentralisation.

This involved bringing the organisation’s activities closer to member states through its external representations, rather than concentrating most of its operations at its headquarters in Paris.

The OIF expanded its regional presence, including through representations in Quebec, Beirut and Tunis, strengthening its ability to engage with governments and institutions across different parts of the Francophone world.

The strategy also involved shifting more human and financial resources towards regional operations, enabling programmes to respond more directly to local priorities.

Reforming institutional governance

Beyond the leadership election, the OIF introduced a single set of rules governing the operations of its main institutions.

Adopted in March 2022, the Règlement unique des instances clarified the responsibilities of the organisation's governing bodies, procedures for conducting meetings, decision-making processes and adoption of resolutions.

A separate regulation was also introduced to clarify how countries and governments apply for membership or seek changes to their status within the organisation.

These changes established clearer institutional procedures, reducing ambiguity in how the OIF conducts its business and makes decisions.

More targeted programmes for women and young people

The reforms have also influenced how the OIF designs and funds its development programmes.

One of the initiatives Mushikiwabo highlighted in her Africa24 interview is La Francophonie avec Elles, a fund established during the Covid-19 pandemic to support women's economic empowerment.

The initiative was developed using savings from cancelled travel, conferences and workshops during lockdowns. It subsequently became part of the organisation's regular programming.

Between 2020 and 2025, the fund supported 354 projects in 36 Francophone countries, benefiting nearly 100,000 women through approximately €20 million in grants.

The OIF has also prioritised digital skills training for young people through its D-CLIC programme, which Mushikiwabo said had trained approximately 21,000 young people. She wants to expand the initiative to reach 100,000 beneficiaries through cooperation with the African Development Bank.

She has argued that the next phase should concentrate on expanding programmes that have demonstrated results rather than continually introducing new activities.