Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languageswomen's rights
Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
activist.
Early life and education
Bayard was born in 1958 in Maradi, Niger. She completed her education in 1976 at the Lycée Kassaï in
Niamey
Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. Niamey lies on the Niger River, primarily situated on the east bank. Niamey's population was counted as 1,026,848 as of the 2012 census. As of 2017, population projections show the capital dis ...
. She studied
economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...
and
sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...
at the
University of Montpellier
The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest universities in the wor ...
in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. In 1985, she received a doctorate in international relations at the International Institute of International Relations of
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 ...
.
Career
Bayard worked as a consultant on development and gender issues and founded the women's organization Rassemblement Démocratique des Femmes Nigériennes (RDFN) in 1992. She attended the National Conference of 1991, which organized the democratic transition of Niger after the military regime that had been in force since 1974, and led the Commission on Rural Development.
On 13 June 1997, Bayard was appointed as Minister of Communication and Culture and as a government spokeswoman in the government of Prime Minister
Amadou Cissé
Amadou Boubacar Cissé (born 1948 , ''Afrique Express'', December 21, 1996 .) is a
Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara
General Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara (May 9, 1949 – April 9, 1999) was a military officer and diplomat in Niger who ruled the country from his seizure of power in 1996 until his assassination during the military coup of April 1999.
Baré Maïn ...
. She held this office until 1 December 1997. During her time in office, she organized a national festival of traditional Nigerien dance and music in
Zinder
Zinder (locally, ''Damagaram''), formerly also spelled Sinder, is the third largest city in Niger, with a population of 170,574 (2001 census);
, which earned her the nickname "Marraine des Arts du Niger" (Godmother of the Arts in Niger). She also oversaw the introduction of mobile phones into the country.
After 2000, Bayard worked for the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
including as deputy representative of the UN Secretary-General in
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau ( ; pt, Guiné-Bissau; ff, italic=no, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 𞤄𞤭𞤧𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤮, Gine-Bisaawo, script=Adlm; Mandinka: ''Gine-Bisawo''), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( pt, República da Guiné-Bissau, links=no ), ...
(2004–2005), as director of the political department of the UN activities in the Ivory Coast (2005–2007), for the Integrated United Nations office in Burundi (2007–2008) and for the UNDP Centre in
Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...
(2008–2009).
Bayard returned to Niger in 2009. In October 2009, she was beaten and hospitalised at a demonstration against President
Mamadou Tandja
Mamadou Tandja (1938 – 24 November 2020) was a Nigerien politician who was President of Niger from 1999 to 2010. He was President of the National Movement for the Development Society (MNSD) from 1991 to 1999 and unsuccessfully ran as the MNS ...
. She ran as a candidate in the presidential elections in Niger in 2011 after the overthrow of Tandja for the Alliance of Independent candidates for a new Niger (Racinn-Hadin'Kay). She was the first woman to run for the office of president in Niger. She received 0.38% of the vote and placed last. As of 2015, she is president of Racinn Hadin'Kay. She decided not to run in the 2016 election after criticising the government for impeding all opposition, saying "I do not want to be there, so that one can say, yes, there is also a woman."