Thomas Boni Yayi
Dr. Thomas Boni Yayi (born 1 July 1951) is a Beninese politician and banker. He served as the President of Benin from 6 April 2006 to 6 April 2016. He was re-elected to a second term in March 2011. From 29 January 2012 to 27 January 2013, he was the Chairperson of the African Union.
Thomas Boni Yayi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President of Benin | |
| In office 6 April 2006 – 6 April 2016 | |
| Prime Minister | Pascal Koupaki Lionel Zinsou |
| Preceded by | Mathieu Kérékou |
| Succeeded by | Patrice Talon |
| Chairperson of the African Union | |
| In office 29 January 2012 – 27 January 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| Succeeded by | Hailemariam Desalegn |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 July 1951
(aged 74) Tchaourou, Dahomey (now Benin) |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse(s) | Chantal Boni |
| Alma mater | National University of Benin Cheikh Anta Diop University University of Orléans Paris Dauphine University |
On 15 March 2007, Boni Yayi survived an assassination attempt. Several of the people travelling with the president were wounded in gunfire between the presidential guard and the would-be assassins.[1]
On 23 October 2012, the BBC said that his doctor, niece, and former commerce minister had been arrested in a plot to poison the president. The niece changed his medicine to a "toxic substance" while he was on a state visit to Brussels.[2]
In September 2021, Patrice Talon and Thomas Boni Yayi, political allies who have become intimate enemies, met at the Marina Palace in Cotonou. During this tête-à-tête, Thomas Boni Yayi presented Patrice Talon with a series of proposals and requests, relating in particular to the release of “political detainees”.'[3]
Thomas Boni Yayi Media
Thomas Yayi Boni taking the oath of office as President of Benin.
Democracy in Francophone Africa
Boni Yayi with Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, August 2007
Barack and Michelle Obama greet Boni Yayi in the White House, August 2014
Narendra Modi meeting Boni Yayi in New Delhi, October 2015
References
- ↑ "Shooting of the Presidential Convoy and attempted assassination of President Yayi Boni" Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, Yayiboni.com, 16 March 2007.
- ↑ BBC
- ↑ "Exclusif – Bénin : au cœur du tête-à-tête entre Patrice Talon et Thomas Boni Yayi". Jeune Afrique. 22 September 2021.
Other websites
Media related to Thomas Boni Yayi at Wikimedia Commons