Togo Appoints First Female Prime Minister

Prime Minister Dogbé becomes the first Togolese woman to hold that position. [creative commons]

Newly appointed Togolese Prime Minister Victoire Tomegah Dogbé became the first woman prime minister in the country’s history on September 28. 

Before her appointment, Dogbé worked as the Minister of Grassroots Development, Handicrafts, Youth, and Youth Employment, a ministry of the Togolese government targeted at social and economic development. Additionally, Dogbé served as the Cabinet Director for Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé. Prior to her involvement with the Togolese government, she worked in Benin with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), a global development program striving for sustainable economic growth. 

Dogbé has a history of involvement in efforts to counteract youth unemployment and poverty, including the introduction of reforms that specifically benefited young and female entrepreneurs.

Dogbé takes office in the wake of former Prime Minister Komi Selom Klassou’s resignation, who stepped down on September 25 as a result of government reshuffling. 

The government has undergone belated changes since the presidential election in February, which the COVID-19 pandemic had delayed. Gnassingbé’s reelection extends his family’s 50-year rule over Togo, which began with his father in 1967. 

Due to the dynastic nature of his family’s hold on power, protests, including targeted marches by women, have become more common during Gnassingbé’s presidency. Experts speculate that Gnassingbé had public image in mind when he chose to appoint a woman as the prime minister.

In an interview with Reuters, Mohamed Djabakate, an analyst with the Togo-based Centre for Democratic Governance and Crisis Prevention, stated that a more gender-inclusive government “[is] all a strategy with an eye towards public opinion.”

Appointed by the president with counsel from the prime minister, 30 percent of ministerial positions are now held by women, doubling the number of women when compared to the previous cabinet.

However, questions remain regarding the true extent of Dogbé’s newfound influence. In his interview, Djabakate noted that Gnassingbé’s close connection with the defense ministry means that “it doesn’t matter” who holds the position of prime minister. 

Regardless, Dogbé joins the small group of women African leaders. Her appointment follows Gabon’s first woman prime minister nomination in July and Ethiopia’s first elected woman president in 2018. A clear trend towards women gaining positions of power has begun to sweep the continent of Africa.