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. She served in the
Boni Yayi
Thomas Boni Yayi (born 1 July 1951) is a Beninese banker and politician who was President of Benin from 2006 to 2016. He took office after winning the March 2006 presidential election and was re-elected to a second term in March 2011. He also s ...
cabinet twice: first as Minister of Microfinance, Youth and Women's Employment; and then as Minister of Justice.
Early life
Madougou was born on 30 April 1974. In elementary school, she was interested in scouting. As an adult, she joined the Benin chapter of Jeune Chambre Internationale (JCI), eventually becoming a vice president.
Madougou graduated from the Institut National d'Economie (now the Ecole Nationale d'Economie appliquée et de Management) in Benin in 1997. She received a diploma in Commercial Engineering from ISG Lille in 1998, then a
Doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
in International Business from the
Institute of Higher International Studies
The Institute of Higher International Studies (french: Institut des hautes études internationales, commonly referred to as "IHEI") is a public institution of research and higher education in Paris, France. It was founded in 1921 by Paul Fauchille ...
in 2000. She was chosen to represent Benin in the 2007
International Visitor Leadership Program The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is a professional exchange program funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The mission of IVLP is to offer current and emerging international leader ...
.
Career
Madougou started her professional career by participating in the development of the Nasuba telecom LC 2 International project. She then entered the Sales and Marketing department of the mobile operator GSM BB Com. She later became the Director of Sales and Marketing at Tunde Motors, holder of the
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...
manufacturing license for Benin. In 2006, she founded her own research and strategy consulting firm, International Key Consulting.
Political involvement
Madougou initiated and led the
civil society
Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.''French'': ) in Benin from 2004 to 2006, which inspired similar campaigns in
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...
and
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
.
Madougou served in the Cabinet from 2008 to 2013. Her first appointment was as Minister of Microfinance, Youth and Women's Employment. The programs she began helped over two million beneficiaries, mostly women, youths, small entrepreneurs, and farmers. She then became Minister of Justice. After leaving the Cabinet, she became a Special Advisor to the government of
Togo
Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
.
As head of the political party Les Démocrates, Madougou declared her intention to contest the presidential election on 11 April 2021; however, her candidacy was rejected as she did not have 16 signatures from supporting mayors or MPs. She was arrested on 3 March 2021 during a meeting with another opposition politician in
Porto-Novo
Porto-Novo (Portuguese: "New Port", , ; yo, Àjàṣẹ́, ), also known as Hogbonu and Ajashe, is the capital of Benin. The commune covers an area of and as of 2002 had a population of 223,552 people.
Situated on an inlet of the Gulf of Gu ...
. A government spokesman accused her of "planning to assassinate several political figures", but did not announce a trial date. On 4 April 2021, a Beninese judge who had gone into
exile
Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...
told
Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale, usually referred to as RFI, is the state-owned international radio broadcaster of France. With 37.2 million listeners in 2014, it is one of the most-listened-to international radio stations in the world, along with ...
that Madougou's arrest was solely political.
On 9 July 2021, Reckya Madougou's lawyers filed a request for the provisional release of their client with the prosecutor of the Court for the Repression of Economic Offenses and Terrorism.
Prison sentence
On 11 December 2021, Madougou was found guilty of "complicity in terrorist acts" by the Economic Crime and Terrorism Court in the capital
Porto-Novo
Porto-Novo (Portuguese: "New Port", , ; yo, Àjàṣẹ́, ), also known as Hogbonu and Ajashe, is the capital of Benin. The commune covers an area of and as of 2002 had a population of 223,552 people.
Situated on an inlet of the Gulf of Gu ...
and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Publications
* ''Soigner les certitudes'' (with Stephens Akplogan). Éditions Jean-Jacques Wuillaume, 2020.
* ''Mon combat pour la parole : les défis d'une mobilisation citoyenne pour la promotion de la gouvernance démocratique''. L'Harmattan, 2008.