RWANDAN NURSE, BREAKS RECORD BECOME THE FIRST AFRICAN FEMALE REFEREE TO OFFICIATE AT THE FIFA WORLD CUP.

RWANDAN NURSE, BREAKS RECORD BECOME THE FIRST AFRICAN FEMALE REFEREE TO OFFICIATE AT THE FIFA WORLD CUP. Salima Mukansanga is a nurse by profession. Although she’s wanted to become a professional basketball player as a young girl. But she was told that she was not old enough to be a part of an U17 national side and to wait. Then she pursued her bachelor’s degree in nursing after which she turned to football. She came across an advert announcing football refereeing training and took her chance – a decision which put her on a path to becoming a pioneer: the first woman from Rwanda to officiate at a FIFA Women’s World Cup and now the first woman ever to officiate at the men’s Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

On January 18, Mukansanga took charge of the group stage game between Guinea and Zimbabwe at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde. Mukansanga was the first woman to officiate in the African Cup of Nations in 2022, leading an all-female officiating squad that included Fatiha Jermoumi (Morocco), Carine Atemzabong (Cameroon), and Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco) as the VAR.

She is the youngest of the three selected women referees. The Rwandan is just 33-year-old. It was Mukansanga, that officiated the world’s highest-altitude football match on Mount Kilimanjaro in 2017.

Kehinde Oluwatosin

Kehinde Oluwatosin is one of the many editors here at Fellow Nurses Africa and fellownurses.com.

He is a registered nurse with a Master of Science degree in healthcare leadership from the University of Hull, United Kingdom. Kehinde is passionate about advancing the nursing profession across Africa. As Co-Founder of Fellow Nurses Africa, he plays a key role in shaping editorial direction, ensuring our content educates, informs, and empowers nurses continent-wide.

With expertise in leadership, patient flow, and healthcare operations, Kehinde brings valuable insights to nursing news, career development, and policy discussions. He is committed to amplifying the voice of African nurses and driving positive change in the profession.