Juliette Bonkoungou
Encyclopedia
Juliette Bonkoungou is the ambassador from Burkina Faso
to Canada
and one of many female Burkinabé politician
s. She has worked as a judge, and as president of the Economic and Social Council (Conseil économique et social). She is a member of the same party as her country's president Blaise Compaore
, the Congress for Democracy and Progress
. She is known informally in Burkina Faso as Julie of Koudougou
, her native town.
, Burkina Faso on 14 May 1954, the eldest of eight children. Her father, Mr. Joseph Yameogo, a prince of Burkina Nabe Yiri, served as a policeman in the town of Bobo Dioulasso for two years and then returned to his hometown, Koudougou, where he also worked as a police officer. Her mother was Madeleine Yameogo. She met her husband Pascal Bonkoungou in 1981 in France
while both were studying there. Her husband is a doctor specializing in diseases of the stomach and abdomen and the couple have a daughter and two sons.
and economist
. After obtaining a master's degree in civil law and a DEA
(postgraduate diploma), she obtained with distinction a diploma from the Ecole Nationale de la Magistrature. This was followed by a further postgraduate diploma in industrial purchasing management from the Institute of Business and Administration in Bordeaux
, France. She also successfully completed full professional training in legal practice at the civil court of Bordeaux. She speaks French
, English
, Arabic
and Dioula
.
from September 1985 to July 1987. She was a judge at the Ouagadougou Palace of Justice from November 1984 to December 1985 and then until December 1987 presided over the Ouagadougou Tribunal of Work. From December 1987 to July 1989, she was the director general of the National Television of Burkina Faso.
in Burkina Faso.
She was head of the National Expert Group of the United Nations
in the matter of public administration and finance in August 1995 with responsibility for the session preparation specialist of ONU on the public administration of development in December 1995 and was its member since October 1993. She has also presented papers and led sessions at seminars, conferences and workshops on the questions of institutional reforms and of good governance in Burkina Faso. She has also been honorary president and member of many associations working for the interests of women and children. She was a founder member of the association of women lawyers of Burkina Faso.
she was elected as a Member of the National Assembly in May 1997. She was also a municipal councillor of her home city Koudougou, the third largest city in Burkina Faso. She served for seven years as minister of Civil Service and Administrative Modernization. In 1997 she was appointed president of the Economic and Social Council where she served for three years before being appointed as ambassador of Burkina Faso in Canada.
.
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and one of many female Burkinabé politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
s. She has worked as a judge, and as president of the Economic and Social Council (Conseil économique et social). She is a member of the same party as her country's president Blaise Compaore
Blaise Compaoré
Blaise Compaoré has been the President of Burkina Faso since 1987 following a coup d'état that ousted then-President Thomas Sankara. In 2011, a mutiny by soldiers over unpaid housing allowances forced him to flee the capital for his hometown...
, the Congress for Democracy and Progress
Congress for Democracy and Progress
The Congress for Democracy and Progress is the ruling political party in Burkina Faso. Its President is Roch Marc Christian Kaboré....
. She is known informally in Burkina Faso as Julie of Koudougou
Koudougou
Koudougou is a town in the province of Boulkiemdé, west of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. It is mainly inhabited by Mossi, and has 131,825 inhabitants, as of 2006...
, her native town.
Early life and family
Juliette Bonkoungou was born in Yameogo in KoudougouKoudougou
Koudougou is a town in the province of Boulkiemdé, west of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. It is mainly inhabited by Mossi, and has 131,825 inhabitants, as of 2006...
, Burkina Faso on 14 May 1954, the eldest of eight children. Her father, Mr. Joseph Yameogo, a prince of Burkina Nabe Yiri, served as a policeman in the town of Bobo Dioulasso for two years and then returned to his hometown, Koudougou, where he also worked as a police officer. Her mother was Madeleine Yameogo. She met her husband Pascal Bonkoungou in 1981 in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
while both were studying there. Her husband is a doctor specializing in diseases of the stomach and abdomen and the couple have a daughter and two sons.
Education
Juliette Bonkoungou is a juristJurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
and economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
. After obtaining a master's degree in civil law and a DEA
DEA (former French degree)
A Master of Advanced Studies is a non-consecutive postgraduate degree awarded predominantly in European countries. A MAS program offers comprehensive training in a specific field and can either give access to higher qualification in one's profession or lead to a new profession...
(postgraduate diploma), she obtained with distinction a diploma from the Ecole Nationale de la Magistrature. This was followed by a further postgraduate diploma in industrial purchasing management from the Institute of Business and Administration in Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, France. She also successfully completed full professional training in legal practice at the civil court of Bordeaux. She speaks French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and Dioula
Dioula language
Jula is a Mande language spoken in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Mali. It is one of the Manding languages, and is most closely related to Bambara, being mutually intelligible with Bambara as well as Malinke. It is a trade language in West Africa and is spoken by millions of people, either as a...
.
Career and professional experience
Mrs Bonkoungou had a permanent academic appointment lecturing in the Law of Work and Social Security at the National School of Administration and Magistracy from September 1979 to June 1981, following which she taught Law of Work and Social Security in the faculty of Law and Political Sciences of the University of OuagadougouUniversity of Ouagadougou
Founded in 1974, the University of Ouagadougou is located in the area of Zogona in Ouagadougou. But in 1995 a second campus for professional education known as University Polytechnique of Bobo was opened in the city of Bobo Dioulasso and a third campus for teacher training in Koudougou in 1996...
from September 1985 to July 1987. She was a judge at the Ouagadougou Palace of Justice from November 1984 to December 1985 and then until December 1987 presided over the Ouagadougou Tribunal of Work. From December 1987 to July 1989, she was the director general of the National Television of Burkina Faso.
Achievements
As a minister, Mrs Bonkoungou took on responsibility for public employment. She wrote proposals for the redefinition of the role and missions of the state and carried out an organizational and functional audit of the country's ministries and state organisations. Her dissertation at the School of Commerce in Paris was on the opportunities for using solar powerSolar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
in Burkina Faso.
She was head of the National Expert Group of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in the matter of public administration and finance in August 1995 with responsibility for the session preparation specialist of ONU on the public administration of development in December 1995 and was its member since October 1993. She has also presented papers and led sessions at seminars, conferences and workshops on the questions of institutional reforms and of good governance in Burkina Faso. She has also been honorary president and member of many associations working for the interests of women and children. She was a founder member of the association of women lawyers of Burkina Faso.
Political career
As a member of the Congress for Democracy and ProgressCongress for Democracy and Progress
The Congress for Democracy and Progress is the ruling political party in Burkina Faso. Its President is Roch Marc Christian Kaboré....
she was elected as a Member of the National Assembly in May 1997. She was also a municipal councillor of her home city Koudougou, the third largest city in Burkina Faso. She served for seven years as minister of Civil Service and Administrative Modernization. In 1997 she was appointed president of the Economic and Social Council where she served for three years before being appointed as ambassador of Burkina Faso in Canada.
Diplomatic career
In her position of ambassador, Mrs. Bonkoungou has organized some traditional celebrations of Burkina Faso in Canada, which allows people from other countries to know more about her country, as well as being a reminder of home, for people from Burkina Faso living abroad. To her, many people when they hear "Africa" automatically think about war and famine. Disappointed by this, one of her many wishes is to change this negative image of Africa and to promote the realities of Africa to Canadians.Charitable work and honors
On 23 August 2003 the population of Koudougou received 26 tons of cereals from her, an act she describes as her contribution to the fight against famine in her native town. She is also the patron of many associations. She has been named officer of national order of Burkina Faso; grand officer of the "Lion du Senegal"; winner of the "Mémorial africain" of the Panafrican Institute of Lugano in 1999 and the last and recent one, the aware of Canada’s image of AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.