Mame Madior Boye

Mame Madior Boye was the first female president of the FAL (Federation of African Lawyers) and the first female prime minister of Senegal from 2001 to 2002. She is a practicing Muslim and feminist, and identifies as nonpartisan.

Boye was born in 1940 in Saint-Louis, Senegal, five years before women would have the right to vote in that country. Her family, primarily made up of lawyers, encouraged her to also pursue a career in law. After obtaining her education at the Faculty of Legal and Economic Sciences in Dakar and the National Center for Judicial Studies in Paris, she spent much of her professional career as part of the Senegalese administration of justice, advocating for the strength, empowerment and rights of women.

When Abdoulaye Wade, president of Senegal from 2000-2012, fired the prime minister he appointed Boye as the replacement. In 2002, Wade fired his entire cabinet, including Boye. Boye then obtained a position on the African Union, protecting citizens in territories with armed conflict and promoting women’s rights worldwide.

Photo via Facebook