Victoire Tomégah Dogbé Is Elected Togo’s First Female Prime Minister

After Komi Selom Klassau resigned as the prime minister of Togo, President of Togo Faure Gnassingbe has appointed a new the first-ever female Prime Minister, Victoire Tomégah Dogbé.

She has been the minister of Grassroots Development, Handicrafts, Youth and Youth Employment since 2008, as well as director of the cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic since 2009. Dogbe-Tomegah will disclose a new administration and present her policy statement to the National Assembly.

This historic appointment follows that of Gabon which in July 2020 appointed it’s first-ever female Prime Minister, Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda. Also, in 2018, Ethiopia appointed its first-ever female president, Sahle-Work Zewde.

The appointment of the women not only sets the standard for the future but also normalises women as decision-makers in public life. 

Here are 5 facts about Victoire Tomégah Dogbé:

• In 1978, she joined the Faculty of Economics and Management (FASEG) of the University of Lomé, Togo, from which she graduated with a Master’s degree in Economics and Management in 1982.
• She obtained a diploma in marketing, specializing in general management finance at the Jutland Technology Institute AARHUS in 1988 in Denmark then an Orchestrating Winning Performance at the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne (Switzerland) in 1996.
• Victoire Sidémého Dogbé Tomegah began her career at the Togolese Plastics Industry (ITP) where she was promoted from 1986 to 1988, the first head of personnel then head of the supply department. Then, she was called to take the administrative and financial direction at ITP from 1988 to 1992.
• She became an Assistant Resident Representative in charge of United Nations Development Program (UNDP) operations in TOGO from 1999 to 2002, Assistant Resident Representative in charge of UNDP operations in Congo-Brazzaville from 2002 to 2004, Deputy Resident Representative in charge of UNDP operations in Burkina Faso of 2004 to 2007, and Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in Benin, from 2007 to 2008.
• In 2008, while she was at the UNDP in Benin, the President of the Republic Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe and the Prime Minister Gilbert Houngbo called on Victoire Dogbé Tomégah to occupy the portfolio of Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister in charge of development at the base which had just been created in Togo.

Congratulations. We wish you all the best!