Senegal names new corruption busting prime minister
听It was a historic week for Senegal. Not only did Aminata Tour茅 become the country's second ever female prime minister, but she enters office with a reputation as .
A 2011 Transparency International Report indicated that believed corruption had increased. 听 gave the country a 鈥渧ery weak鈥� rating in government accountability and administration and civil service. Senegal watchers, impressed with Ms. Tour茅's record, see her appointment as a major step forward.
And it hasn鈥檛 taken Tour茅 long to get to work. She was appointed prime minister on Sunday, and by Monday she had revealed her new cabinet. She is already making human rights activists happy by choosing a new justice minister with a strong track record on human rights. But as the minister is in this predominantly Muslim country, the appointment is not as popular with conservative members of society.
Tour茅 has a long history of activism. As justice minister she brought to trial many government officials accused of corruption, including Karim Wade, the son of a former president.
And she hasn鈥檛 stopped with Senegal. 鈥溾�� she told Jeune Afrique, a French language newspaper. Under her guidance, Senegal and the African Union signed an accord to create a special tribunal to prosecute the former president of Chad Hiss猫ne Habr茅, accused of numerous crimes against humanity, including mass killings and torture, during his eight years in power. 听
And previous to her entrance into politics in 2012, Tour茅 championed gender mainstreaming and reproductive rights for the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF). After working in various countries for almost a decade, she became the chief of the Gender, Human Rights, and Culture Branch of the UNPF. 听
As if that鈥檚 not enough: 听 听When she was younger, she played forward for the soccer team 鈥淟es Gazelles de Dakar鈥� in Senegal鈥檚 capital.
She may need some fancy footwork to maneuver the hurdles that lay ahead as prime minister of a country known more for conflict and poverty. 听But if Tour茅鈥檚 first couple years in government are any indication, Senegal may just have been given a game changer.
