Yayi Boni
| Thomas Boni Yayi | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| President of Benin | |
|
In office 6 April 2006 – 6 April 2016 |
|
| Prime Minister |
Pascal Koupaki (2011-13) Lionel Zinsou (2015-16) |
| Preceded by | Mathieu Kérékou |
| Succeeded by | Patrice Talon |
| Chairperson of the African Union | |
|
In office 29 January 2012 – 27 January 2013 |
|
| Preceded by | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| Succeeded by | Hailemariam Desalegn |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Thomas Yayi Boni 1 July 1951 Tchaourou, Borgou Department, Dahomey |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse(s) | Chantal Boni |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater |
National University of Benin Cheikh Anta Diop University University of Orléans Paris Dauphine University |
| Religion | Evangelicalism (Formerly Islam) |
Thomas Boni Yayi (born 1 July 1951) is a Beninese banker and politician who was President of Benin from 2006 to 2016. He took office after winning the March 2006 presidential election and was re-elected to a second term in March 2011. He also served as the Chairperson of the African Union from 29 January 2012 to 27 January 2013.
Boni was born in Tchaourou, in the Borgou Department in northern Benin, then the French colony of Dahomey. He received his education first in the regional capital of Parakou before moving on to earn a master's degree in economics at the National University of Benin. He then pursued an additional master's degree in economics at the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal, and then earned a doctorate in economics and politics at the University of Orléans in France and at Paris Dauphine University, where he completed a doctorate in economics in 1976.
At the end of his education, Boni began a long career in banking. From 1975 until 1979 he worked at the Benin Commercial Bank before moving to work at the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) from 1977 until 1989. From 1992 until 1994, he served as an economic adviser to the President of Benin Nicéphore Soglo. In 1994 he left this position to become the President of the West African Development Bank (BOAD).
Boni stood as one of 26 candidates in the March 2006 presidential election. The sitting president, Mathieu Kérékou, had been a dominant force in the politics of the country since the early 1970s and there were serious doubts about him agreeing to allow a transition of power. Boni surprised many by earning 35.8% of the vote in the first round as an independent candidate. The main parts of his campaign were to improve governance, stimulate the private sector, improve educational opportunities for women, and modernize the agricultural sector. His closest competitor was Adrien Houngbédji of Soglo's Party for Democratic Renewal who received 25 percent. In the runoff between Boni and Houngbédji on 19 March 2006, Boni won with almost 75% of the vote. He took office on 6 April 2006. The 2006 election saw high voter turnout and was considered free and fair by independent election observers.
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