Georgette Koko (born 16 March 1953[1]) is a Gabonese politician who served in the government of Gabon as Deputy Prime Minister for the Environment from January 2006 to October 2009. She has been President of the Economic and Social Council since 2016.
Life and career
editKoko was born in Makokou, located in the Ogooué-Ivindo Province of Gabon. After studying in Gabon and then in France, Koko began working at the Ministry of the Environment; she was placed in charge of studies at the National Anti-Pollution Center in April 1989 and became Director of the Environment in August 1995. Later, she was adviser to the Director-General of the Environment from 2002 to 2004, then adviser to the Minister of the Environment beginning in 2004.[1]
Koko was appointed to the government as Deputy Prime Minister for the Environment, the Protection of Nature, and Research and Technology on 21 January 2006;[2][3] in that post, she ranked second in the government, behind only Prime Minister Jean Eyeghé Ndong.[1] Her portfolio was modified on 25 January 2007, when she was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister for the Environment, the Protection of Nature, and Urban Affairs, and again on 29 December 2007, when she was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister for the Environment, the Protection of Nature, and Sustainable Development.[2]
At the 9th Ordinary Congress of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) in September 2008, Koko became one of the party's Vice-Presidents.[4] In the January 2009 Senate election, she was the PDG candidate in the first arrondissement of Makokou[5] and won the seat.[6]
On 8 June 2009, following the death of President Omar Bongo at a Spanish hospital, Koko announced the news to the Gabonese people on television, saying that he had died of a heart attack. She stressed the importance of preserving state institutions and urged the people to show unity and solidarity "on this painful occasion".[7]
After Bongo's son, Ali Bongo Ondimba, won the 30 August 2009 presidential election, Koko was dismissed from the government on 17 October 2009.[8] Koko subsequently served as a Senator, and in April 2012 she was designated as President of the PDG Parliamentary Group in the Senate.[9] Following the December 2014 Senate election, Koko was elected as Second Vice-President of the Senate on 27 February 2015.[10] A year later, on 10 March 2016, she was appointed as President of the Economic and Social Council.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Nouveau gouvernement: Qui sont-ils? Georgette Koko, Marie Missouloukagnè, Solange Mabignath, Denise Mekam'ne" Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine, bdpgabon.org, 26 January 2006 (in French).
- ^ a b List of governments of Gabon Archived November 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine at IZF.net (in French).
- ^ ""Le Premier ministre gabonais a formé son gouvernement"". Archived from the original on September 11, 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), Infosplusgabon, 21 January 2006 (in French). - ^ "PDG: Faustin Boukoubi au gouvernail" Archived 2009-05-05 at the Wayback Machine, Croissance Saine Environnement, 22 September 2008 (in French).
- ^ "Gabon : Le SG du PDG sort ses jokers pour les sénatoriales" Archived 2008-12-22 at the Wayback Machine, Gaboneco, 12 December 2008 (in French).
- ^ "Sénatoriales 2009 : Les 75 élus du PDG" Archived 2009-02-10 at the Wayback Machine, PDG website, 30 January 2009 (in French).
- ^ "Libreville demande aux Gabonais de rester "unis et solidaires"" Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, AFP, 8 June 2009 (in French).
- ^ "Gabon: Liste complète du nouveau gouvernement gabonais" Archived 2009-10-21 at the Wayback Machine, Gabonews, 17 October 2009 (in French).
- ^ "Georgette Koko nouveau président du groupe parlementaire PDG", Agence Gabonaise de Presse, 24 April 2012 (in French).
- ^ "Lucie Milebou Aubusson, élue sans surprise président du Sénat", Agence Gabonaise de Presse, 27 February 2015 (in French).
- ^ Carl Nsitou, "Georgette Koko nommée présidente du CES", Gabonactu, 11 March 2016 (in French).