Aïchatou Boulama Kané (born 24 April 1955) is a Nigerien politician. She served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesKeita, Niger Keita is a town and commune in Niger. It is the capital of the Keita Department, within the Tahoua Region, and has a population of 10,631 as of 2012. Geography Keita is located north-east of the national capital, Niamey. The town is in the semi ...

. She was the eldest daughter of 16. After her primary education at

Mainé-Soroa Mainé-Soroa (''Maine-Soroa'', ''Maïné-Soroa'') is a Communes of Niger, town in southeastern Niger, the capital of the Mainé-Soroa Department, and is in turn part of Diffa Region. Population 10,176 (2001). Economy Situated in an agropastoral z ...

from 1961 to 1967, Kané attended the Lycée Mariama in Niamey where she earned a Baccalauréat série D in 1974. She pursued higher education in France at the University of Rennes 1, earning an economics degree in 1979, and later studied at the Pantheon-Sorbonne University, earning a diploma of Specialized Studies.

Career

Kané returned to Niger in 1983 and worked for the Ministry of Mines, Industry and Artisans. Kané led an important march protesting against the low representation of women in the National Conference, for which 13 May is celebrated as Nigerien Women Day. In 1991, she was elected to the

National Sovereign Conference National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

as a member of the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism. She was named Secretary of State for Planning in 1993, and fought for the upwards mobility of African women. In particular, she promoted female empowerment through the development of its activities, including crafts. Her appointment as Coordinator of the International Exhibition of Crafts for Women (SAFEM) in 2000 illustrated her efforts in women's crafts. It became a government agency in 2005 but has been independent since 2007. Kané was appointed Governor of Niamey by the Council of Ministers in 2011. She served in this position for two years before joining the Interior Ministry. Kané was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2015 to 2016. She was appointed by the President,

Mahamadou Issoufou Mahamadou Issoufou (born 1 January 1952) is a Nigerien politician who served as the President of Niger from 7 April 2011 to 2 April 2021. Issoufou was the prime minister of Niger from 1993 to 1994, president of the National Assembly from 1995 t ...

, to replace Mohamed Bazoum on 25 February 2015. Kané had previously been Issoufou's chief of staff. As foreign minister, Kané gave a speech to the United Nations supporting the two-state solution in Israel and Palestine and thanked the coalition involved in fighting the terrorist group

Boko Haram Boko Haram, officially known as ''Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād'' ( ar, جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, lit=Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad), is an Islamic terrorist organization ...

. Kané supported Niger being involved in the UN sanctioned peace process in Libya, making a speech on the topic in an international conference in December 2015. In February 2016, she helped secure the release of Jocelyn Elliott, an Australian woman who, along with her husband Ken, was kidnapped by Islamic militants in Burkina Faso. On 11 April 2016 Kané was replaced as foreign minister by

Ibrahim Yacouba Ibrahim Yacouba, also known as Ibrahim Yacoubou (born 8 August 1971), is a Nigerien politician who has served in the government of Niger as Minister of Foreign Affairs 2016 to 2018. He leads the Nigerien Patriotic Movement. Life and career Followi ...

. She was instead appointed as Minister of Planning and President of the Council of Ministers of AFRISTAT. She was Niger's ambassador to France having been appointed on 23 September 2021.

Other activities

African Development Bank The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) or (BAD) is a multilateral development finance institution headquartered in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, since September 2014. The AfDB is a financial provider to African governments and private companies i ...

(AfDB), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (since 2016) * Islamic Development Bank, Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (since 2016) *

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...

, Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (since 2016)Board of Governors

Personal life

Kané is married to Kane Souleymane, a presidential adviser, and has three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kane, Aichatou Boulama 1955 births Living people Foreign ministers of Niger Female foreign ministers People from Tahoua Region Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism politicians 21st-century women politicians Nigerien women diplomats Women government ministers of Niger 21st-century diplomats 20th-century women politicians Ambassadors of Niger to France