Lionel Zinsou | |
|---|---|
 Zinsou in 2017 | |
| Prime Minister of Benin | |
| In office 18 June 2015 – 6 April 2016 | |
| President | Thomas Boni Yayi |
| Preceded by | Pascal Koupaki(2013) |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1953-10-23)23 October 1953 (age 72) |
| Spouse | Marie Derlin Zinsou (?–2019;her death) |
| Alma mater | École Normale Supérieure London School of Economics |
Lionel Zinsou (born 23 October 1953) is a French–Beninese economist and investment banker who wasPrime Minister of Benin from 2015 to 2016. Since June 2017, he has been the president ofTerra Nova, a centre-left French think tank.
Zinsou's father was born in Benin, then known asDahomey. Zinsou himself, who was born inParis, is a nephew ofÉmile Derlin Zinsou, who wasPresident ofDahomey from 1968 to 1969.[1]
Zinsou is a graduate of theÉcole Normale Supérieure and theLondon School of Economics.
Zinsou developed a close association with the French socialist politicianLaurent Fabius and worked under Fabius in the mid-1980s while the latter was in government.[2]
Zinsou was a partner at bankers Rothschilds before joining the investment fundPAI Partners in 2008. He was also Special Adviser to the President of Benin,Yayi Boni, from 2006 to 2011.[2]
In 2013, his Zinsou Foundation opened inOuidah, Benin, the first museum of contemporary art in sub-Saharan Africa outside South Africa.[3]
On 18 June 2015, President Yayi Boni appointed Zinsou as Prime Minister of Benin, along with a 27-member government, and assigned him responsibility for economic development.[4] The post of Prime Minister does not exist in the 1990 constitution, and for most of Yayi Boni's presidency—and most of the period since the constitution came into effect—no one held the post. Zinsou's appointment came less than 10 months before the end of the President's second term, and as the latter is barred from seeking re-election, some viewed the appointment as possibly being a signal that Zinsou was his chosen successor.[2]
Zinsou announced on 1 December 2015, that he would stand as the candidate of theCowry Forces for an Emerging Benin in the2016 presidential election. He said that he would focus on financing agriculture and helping informal workers obtain formal employment.[5]
During a visit toDjougou in northwestern Benin, Zinsou's helicopter crashed at a stadium on 27 December 2015. He was not harmed.[6]
In June 2017, Zinsou was appointed president ofTerra Nova, a centre-left French think tank.[7]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vacant Title last held by Pascal Koupaki | Prime Minister of Benin 2015–2016 | Position abolished |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
