Carl Michael Gräns (born 26 July 1970) is a Swedish diplomat and author, who served as the ambassador of Sweden to Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon from 2019 to 2022.[1] He also served as the deputy head of unit at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs' unit for Europe and North America.[2][3]
Carl Michael Gräns | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ambassador of Sweden to Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon | |
| In office January 2019 – September 2022 | |
| Monarch | Carl XVI Gustaf |
| Prime Minister | Stefan Löfven |
| Succeeded by | Annika Hahn-Englund |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 July 1970 |
| Citizenship | Sweden |
Education
editGräns studied at the Stockholm School of Economics and graduated in 1997 with a masters degree. He has a B.A. degree with Russian as a major at Uppsala University where he graduated in 2003.
Career
editGräns was admitted to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs' diplomatic programme and began his service at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2000. He has served in the ministry all his career with the exception of the year 2022-2023 when he was seconded to the Swedish Defence Research Agency as a senior Russia analyst. Gräns has alternated his service at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Stockholm with service abroad at Swedish embassies in Vilnius, Lithuania (Second Secretary 2000-2003), Paris (First Secretary/Counsellor 2004-2010), Berlin (Press Counsellor 2015-2019), Abuja (Ambassador 2019-2022). As an ambassador to Nigeria, he was also an ambassador to Ghana, Cameroon, and ECOWAS.[4] As ambassador to Nigeria, Gräns pushed for gender equality in Nigeria, referring to it as a means to stimulate more development in Africa.[5] In February 2022, he inaugurated the honorary consulate of Sweden in Lagos.[6][7]
Bibliography
editReferences
edit- ↑ "NCC hosts Swedish Ambassador, lauds Sweden's ICT capacity development initiatives. | NCC". www.ncc.gov.ng. Archived from the original on 2025-03-01. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
- ↑ "Sweden committed to supporting Nigerian youths — Ambassador". The Punch. 2022-02-04. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
- ↑ "Swedish Ambassador celebrates Oriflame Nigeria". The Guardian. Lagos, Nigeria. 2019-10-12. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
- ↑ Salau, Seyi John (2019-10-09). "Oriflame better positioned to showcase Swedish Nigerian business collaboration". BusinessDay. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
- ↑ "Gender equality will stimulate development in Africa – Swedish Envoy". MenEngage Africa Alliance. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
- ↑ Bada, Sheriff Owolabi (2022-02-05). "Sanwo-Olu, ambassador inaugurate Swedish honorary consulate in Lagos". SOMOLU NEWSPAPER. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
- ↑ Okeke, Ifeoma (2022-02-04). "Swedish Embassy opens honorary consulate in Lagos to deepen business interest". BusinessDay. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
- ↑ "Carl Michael Gräns". www.svb.se (in Swedish). 2024-06-10. Retrieved 2025-04-25.
- ↑ "Författarsamtal: Upp och ut av Carl Michael Gräns". Göteborgs Litteraturhus (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-04-25.