Rafiatou Karimou (2 May 1946 – 4 January 2018) was a

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

ese politician and teacher by profession. Karimou was the first female to be appointed to the position of a minister in her country.

Biography

Rafiatou Karimou was born in 1946 in

Sakété Sakété is a city of the Plateau Department of Benin. The commune covers an area of 432 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 114,207 people. It is the birthplace of politician Rafiatou Karimou Rafiatou Karimou (2 May 1946 – 4 ...

, in the south of present-day Benin, then Colony of Dahomey. She began to campaign in her youth in the General Union of Pupils and Students of Dahomey (UGEED) before engaging in politics. In 1975, she was the first woman to be appointed district chief in Benin and in 1989, she became the first woman minister in her country after she was appointed Minister of Public Health by President

Mathieu Kérékou Mathieu Kérékou (; 2 September 1933 – 14 October 2015) was a Beninese politician who served as President of Benin from 1972 to 1991 and again from 1996 to 2006. After seizing power in a military coup, he ruled the country for 19 years, for ...

. She held this position until 1990. She was appointed minister again from 2003 to 2006, this time to head the portfolio of Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. She first got elected into the Benin National Assembly in 1999, and returned to parliament in 2003 representing the

African Movement for Development and Progress The African Movement for Development and Progress (french: Mouvement africain pour la développement et le progrès, MADEP) is a political party in Benin created in 1997. In the legislative elections held on 30 March 2003, the party was part of the ...

political party. She later resigned from the party after becoming a minister citing reasons of lack of transparency in the running of her country. Karimou was one of two people injured in an accident on the

Bassila Bassila is a town, arrondissement, and commune located in the Donga Department of Benin. The commune covers an area of 120 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 130,770 people. The RNIE 3 highway of Benin passes through the town o ...

highway on December 14, 2008 when the vehicle in which they were riding lost control after a tire burst. Five people were killed in the accident, among them former ambassador to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and government minister Véronique Ahoyo. Throughout her political career, Rafiatou Karimou has been an advocate for women engaging in politics. During an interview in March 2017, she challenged women to go beyond playing supporting roles. She died on 4 January 2018 in Paris, aged 71.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karimou, Rafiatou 1946 births 2018 deaths Government ministers of Benin Women government ministers of Benin 20th-century Beninese women politicians 21st-century Beninese women politicians People from Plateau Department