Reckya Madougou

Beninese, Entrepreneur and Politician, Lobbyist and Network Woman.
Several times Minister for 5 years between 2008 and 2013.
Former Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice, Legislation and Human Rights, Spokesperson for the Government.
Former Minister of Microfinance and Youth and Women’s Employment.
Nowadays, International expert in inclusive and developing finance.

She is the Ambassador of the Unitlife / UN initiative (for the promotion of innovative financing for the fight against malnutrition) for all of Africa.

She is a Special adviser to the Togolese Republic President.

She is also the Coordinator of the African initiative for peace education through inter-religious and intercultural dialogue, launched by Professor Albert Tevoedjrê.

Reckya MADOUGOU was awarded the “ Woman of Courage Award ” by the US government in 2007 and was presented by the renowned US magazine FORBES in late 2016 as one of the most influential African women after a ranking of the Pan-African Magazine Jeune Afrique which ranks her among the fifty (50) most influential Africans in the world.

In addition, the influential international foundation of Swiss origin Crans Montana, awarded her the distinction of New Leader of Honor in Morocco on 20 March and selected her as the sponsor of the 2017 promotion of new leaders of the future.

Political woman, international expert in Inclusive Finance and development projects, former minister of renown, Special Advisor to the President of The Togolese Republic, this challenge woman, advises several governments on the continent. As an activist and specialist in the inclusive economy and human rights, she is invited to the four corners of the world to share her rich experience in development tools, financial inclusion, promotion of the private sector, development assistance , Mechanisms for good governance and citizen participation, etc.

Since 2013, after 5 years spent in the government of Benin, where she has brilliantly illustrated the empowerment of two million beneficiaries, mostly women and young people, she has embarked on a global crusade to promote the inclusive economy, A real alternative to the classical economy in order to increase women’s empowerment in particular and the resilience of the poor in general. In this context, she is frequently invited to several international media channels including France 24, TV5 Monde, Voice of America, Africa 24, Telesud, Africable, BBC, UBIZZ News, etc. She was invited in October 2015 of the famous issue of Canal + Success, in which, as usual, she insisted on her advocacy of the dynamism and challenges of the African economy.

Nowadays, she advises several governments and African Heads of State on issues of financial inclusion, job creation and entrepreneurship, empowerment of young people and women and poverty alleviation.

Reckya Madougou is a woman of influence.
Reckya Madougou is a woman of initiatives, with overflowing energy.
In January 2015, the famous pan-African magazine, Jeune Afrique, ranked her among the “50 most influential African women in the world”. In 2016 she appears in the club of the hundred (100) most influential African personalities according to Africa Magazine. She is also ranked among the “ New faces of finance in Africa ” by The Africa Report in December 2015.

In November 2016, the famous American magazine Forbes (Africa) dedicated to him, in his Finance column, a portrait file of 3 full pages with the following hat:
At 42 Reckya Madougou certainly counts among the influential women of Francophone Africa. Her activism, her temerity, allowed her to occupy excellent positions in the private sector and to exercise as minister in the government of Benin. Today she is striving to advance her actions and ideas on “Inclusive Finance”. The former minister of microfinance and youth and women’s employment is actively involved in influencing society through strong initiatives to promote the growth of Africa. “… Pages 78 to 80.

SOME DECORATIONS, DISTINCTIONS, AWARDS …

A very committed personality, her activism and her professional merits have been recognized in time and space through several distinctions and national and international recognition. These include:

• The prestigious “Woman of courage award” awarded by the US government in 2007
• Raised to the rank of Commander of the National Order of Benin (2012)
• Raised to the rank of Commander of the National Order of Togo (2014)
• Special Prize for the Promotion of Financial Inclusion in Africa “awarded by Congo (2015)
• IFAD Award in recognition of her merits for the promotion of youth entrepreneurship.
• The famous International Junior Chamber trophy TOYP 2011 (Ten Oustanding Young People: Benin’s 10 most outstanding young people)
• The trophy “Cauri national of excellence and merit, category” best initiative and courage in public action in 2007, by the international NGO Manus France.
• Selected in 2007 by the US Department of State for the elitist “International Leadership Program: Women as political and economic leaders”.
• Identified for the very selective German program “Transformation thinkers”, representing West Africa in 2007 (Bertelsmann Foundation and German Government). She is now a member of this closed circle of leaders of tomorrow.
• An Official Congratulatory Letter from UNDP Administrator Helen Clark, in 2012, commending her achievements in empowering young people and women (setting up the Business Promotion Centers (BPC) program to foster entrepreneurship). We can see her proudly posing on the newspaper of her Facebook page with Mrs. Clark.
• African Women Leadership Award in Abidjan, May 2016
• “ New leader of honor ” prize, awarded by Crans Montana, in Dakhla in Morocco in 2017 and elevated to the rank of sponsor of the 2017 promotion of new leaders of the future. etc…

HER SUPPORT TO WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT GROUPS:

She is particularly interested in “productive social” as she likes to point out, stressing “the need for support to empowerment in the form of assistance and not of assistantship”. It has voluntarily initiated a women’s empowerment program on its own account, which is illustrated by support for capacity building and micro credits for production equipment at zero rates, as well as the search for opportunities for women Products resulting from the labor of GIEs thus reinforced. It supports in the same vein associations of weavers and dyers in the manufacture and promotion of local specific fabrics such as woven loincloth and batik.

And also the productive humanitarian and social:
For several years now, she has supported an association of several hundred disabled people.
She has designed and created cosmetic products which the association manufactures and markets. All proceeds from these products are fully donated to the Association “Assistance aux Jeunes Handicapés du Benin “(AJHB).

HER FIGHT FOR THE PROMOTION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE JUVENILE LAYER

She travels through colleges, high schools and universities to raise awareness, promote leadership through interactive conferences. She promotes excellence by awarding prizes to the best students and scholarships to the best laureates in the examinations to encourage the retention of girls in the school and university curricula.
To quote Madame Taubira, “ The road is still long. But she has grown and embellished herself. May the winds, the Gods, justice and law be favorable to this generation embodied in Reckya.“ Christiane Taubira.

PUBLICATIONS

• Test: My fight for speech. The challenges of citizen mobilization for the promotion of democratic governance. Harmattan, 2009.
• Being published by the Harmattan in Paris: “ Overcoming poverty in Africa. A crossed look at the social market economy “.