Salima Mukansanga is an international football referee from Rwanda who will make her referee debut at the men’s Africa Cup of Nations 2021 this month. 

AFCON 2021 opened on Sunday, with tournament dates for 9 January 2022 to 6 February 2022 — also closing on a Sunday.

2021’s games will take place this year due to disruptions faced last year due to COVID-19.

Mukansanga’s umpireship is a historical one as she has now become the first female umpire for the tournament, with many hoping she will not be the last.

In the past, Mukansanga has officiated at the Woman’s World Cup, Africa Women’s Cup of Nations, the CAF Women’s Champions League, and — most recently — 2020’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. 

There will be 63 match officials for this year’s AFCON, including four women: Cameroon’s Carine Atemzabong, Morocco’s Fatiha Jermoumi, Bouchra Karboubi from Morocco, and the aforementioned Mukansanga.

Mukansanga will be the only one of the four to referee some of the games, working as a centre referee while the other women take on assistant referee roles. 

The inclusion of Mukansanga marks a cultural shift in attitudes towards women’s sport, particularly women in football. 

This weekend, English Football League (EFL) Officiator Rebecca Welch became the first to referee a third-round FA cup men’s game. 

In Africa, grassroots women’s football organisations, like Uganda's Sseninde Foundation, are also working to enfranchise women in the industry.