Koffi Panou (January 31, 1947 – March 15, 2003"Le Togo et le RPT en deuil :Les Ex-Ministres Koffi Panou et Kokou Amédégnato décédés"
''Akéklé'', number 179, March 17, 2003 .) was 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 politician and diplomat who served in the government under President

Gnassingbé Eyadéma Gnassingbé Eyadéma (; born Étienne Eyadéma Gnassingbé, 26 December 1935 – 5 February 2005) was a Togolese military officer and politician who served as the third president of Togo from 1967 until his death in 2005, after which he was immed ...

. Panou, who was from Lacs Prefecture in southern Togo,, ''Afrique Express'' . graduated from ESIJY in

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the Capital city, capital city of Cameroon. It has a population of more than 2.8 million which makes it the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region (Cameroon), Centre Region o ...

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

in the 1970s and worked as a journalist. He became Director of National Television in 1986, then was a Special Advisor to the President. After serving as Secretary-General of the Presidency, he was named

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

in 1996, in which position he served until September 1, 1998, when he was named Minister of Communication and Civic Education. After two years in the latter position, he was again named Minister of Foreign Affairs on October 8, 2000. He was a member of the West African mediation group during the Ivorian Civil War and participated in the cease-fire negotiations. He remained

Foreign Minister In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

until being replaced by Roland Kpotsra in the government named on December 3, 2002."Dec 2002 - Togo", ''Keesing's Record of World Events'', volume 48, December 2002, Togo, page 45,131. Panou, who had been ill and had been to France for treatment at

Val-de-Grâce The Val-de-Grâce (; Hôpital d'instruction des armées du Val-de-Grâce or HIA Val-de-Grâce) was a military hospital located at 74 boulevard de Port-Royal in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was closed as a hospital in 2016. History ...

Military Hospital, died of a heart attackFrançois Soudan
"Koffi Panou : mort d'un fidèle"
''Jeune Afrique'', March 30, 2003 . on March 15, 2003 in

Kara Region Kara Region () is one of Togo's five regions. Kara is the regional capital. Other major cities in the Kara region include Bafilo, Bassar, Kpagouda and Niamtougou. Kara is divided into the prefectures of Assoli, Bassar, Bimah, Dankpen, ...

. He was participating in a traditional dance at the funeral of his mother, who had died in 1999, in

Kabou Kabou is a village in the Bassar Prefecture in the Kara Region of north-western 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 ...

Bassar Prefecture Bassar Prefecture () is one of the prefectures of Togo and is located in Kara Region in Togo. The cantons (or subdivisions) of Bassar include Bassar, Kabou, Bitchabé, Dimouri, Sanda-Kagbanda, Bangéli, Baghan, Sanda-Afowou, Manga, and Kalang ...

, when he fell ill, and he died while he was being taken for treatment. His national funeral was held in Lomé on March 27. The funeral oration speech was performed by Charles Kondi Agba, a government minister.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Panou, Koffi 1946 births 2003 deaths Togolese diplomats Government ministers of Togo Ministers of foreign affairs of Togo 20th-century Togolese politicians 21st-century Togolese politicians People from Maritime Region, Togo