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

Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

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 Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north- ...

, 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 the People's Republic of Benin from 1972 to 1991 and the Benin, Republic of Benin from 1996 to 2006. After seizing power in a milita ...

. 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 () is a political party in Benin created in 1997. In the legislative elections held on 30 March 2003, the party was part of the Presidential Movement, the alliance of supporters of President Mathieu ...

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 5,661 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 130,770 people. The RNIE 3 highway of Benin passes through the t ...

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 Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

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 Education ministers of Benin Health ministers of Benin Women government ministers of Benin 20th-century Beninese women politicians 20th-century Beninese politicians 21st-century Beninese women politicians 21st-century Beninese politicians People from Plateau Department