Sika Bella Kaboré (born October 20, 1959) is a

Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...

lese-born Burkinabé

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a Lawyer, legal prac ...

, healthcare advocate, and wife of the former

President of Burkina Faso The president of Burkina Faso () is the head of state of Burkina Faso and as well as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Burkina Faso. It is the highest office in Burkina Faso and has significant executive power, including appointin ...

Roch Marc Christian Kaboré Roch Marc Christian Kaboré (; born 25 April 1957) is a Burkinabé banker and politician who served as the President of Burkina Faso from 2015 until he was deposed in 2022. He was the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso between 1994 and 1996 and Pre ...

. She served as the First Lady of

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

from December 29, 2015 to January 24, 2022, when her husband,

, was deposed by the military.

Biography

Kaboré was born Sika Bella Adjoavi in Lomé, present-day

, to Mawupé Valentin Vovor, a Togolese physician, and Emilia Moreira. She is usually called Bella, which is her middle name. Kaboré completed her

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in law at the

University of Lomé The University of Lomé (; abbreviated UL) is a public university in Togo, located in the capital Lomé. It is the country's largest university. It was founded in 1970 as the University of Benin () and adopted its current name in 2001. 2011 s ...

. She then moved to France to continue her studies at the University of Burgundy. She met her future husband, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, while both were students at French universities. They married in 1982 and have three children. They moved to Kaboré's native Burkina Faso during the 1980s, where she joined the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) in

Ouagadougou Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (, , , ) is the capital city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the List of cities in Burkina Faso#Largest cities, country's largest city, wi ...

as a legal studies officer, while her husband was appointed Director General of the International Bank of Burkina Faso. In 2006, Kaboré became head of the KIMI Foundation, which provides preventative healthcare services to Burkinabé women and children. The KIMI Foundation, which means "umbrella" in the

Dyula language Dyula (or Jula, Dioula, ''Julakan'' ߖߎ߬ߟߊ߬ߞߊ߲) is a language of the Mande language family spoken mainly in Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Mali, and also in some other countries, including Ghana, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. It is one of ...

, focuses on treatment of chronic illnesses, including breast cancer, cervical cancer, and

sickle cell disease Sickle cell disease (SCD), also simply called sickle cell, is a group of inherited Hemoglobinopathy, haemoglobin-related blood disorders. The most common type is known as sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia results in an abnormality in the ...

. Kaboré reportedly became close with former First Lady

Chantal Compaoré Chantal Compaoré (née Terrasson de Fougères; born 1962) is the Franco-Ivorian wife of former President Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso. Born in the Dabou, Ivory Coast, after becoming the First Lady in 1987 she spent much of her time on char ...

as her husband's political career grew during the 1990s and 2000s. The two shared common life histories. Both women were married to Burkinabé political leaders and were born abroad - Kaboré is Togolese, while Compaoré is Ivorian. Some political figures believed the two were close friends, but members of President Kaboré's political circle seemed to dispute this notion, telling ''

Jeune Afrique ''Jeune Afrique'' (English: ''Young Africa'') is a French-language pan-African weekly news magazine, founded in 1960 in Tunis and subsequently published in Paris by Jeune Afrique Media Group. It is the most widely read pan-African magazine. It o ...

'', "They were close because of the functions of their husbands. But can we say that they were really friends? I'm not sure." By 2015, was a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (CCI) executive committee. She became the First Lady of Burkina Faso on December 29, 2015, following her husband's victory in the November 2015 presidential election.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bella Kabore, Sika Living people 1959 births First ladies of Burkina Faso Burkinabe women in politics Burkinabe people of Togolese descent Togolese emigrants to Burkina Faso University of Burgundy alumni People from Lomé People from Ouagadougou 21st-century Burkinabe people University of Lomé alumni