In 2018, Rihanna was appointed the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of her native Barbados. According to a statement from the country's government office, the unique position gives the singer "specific responsibility for promoting education, tourism and investment for the island."
"Rihanna has a deep love for this country, and this is reflected in her philanthropy, especially in the areas of health and education," Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley said in a statement. "She also shows her patriotism in the way she gives back to this country and continues to treasure the island as her home. She has also demonstrated, beyond her success as a pop icon, significant creative acumen and shrewdness in business. It is therefore fitting that we engage and empower her to play a more definitive role as we work to transform Barbados."
The new title was presented to Rihanna a decade after the Caribbean island named her a cultural ambassador for Barbados and two years after she joined Prince Harry at a Man Aware event held by the Barbados National HIV/AIDS Commission, where they each got a blood test.
