Rafiatou Karimou

Rafiatou Karimou (2 Mayu 1946 - 4 Janairu 2018)  'yar siyasar Benin ce kuma malama ta hanyar sana'a. Karimou ita ce mace ta farko da aka naɗa a muƙamin minista a ƙasar ta.   

 Tarihin Rayuwa 
An haifi Rafiatou Karimou a shekara ta 1946 a Sakété, a kudancin ƙasar Benin a yau, sannan Turawan mulkin mallaka na Dahomey. Ta fara yakin neman Zaɓe tun lokacin kuruciyarta a kungiyar ɗalibai da ɗaliban Dahomey (UGEED) kafin ta shiga siyasa. A shekarar 1975, ita ce mace ta farko da aka naɗa shugabar gundumomi a Benin kuma a shekarar 1989, ta zama mace ta farko minista a ƙasar ta bayan shugaba Mathieu Kérékou ya naɗa ta ministar kula da lafiyar jama'a. 

Ta riƙe wannan matsayi har zuwa shekara ta 1990. An sake naɗa ta a matsayin minista daga shekarun 2003 zuwa 2006, a wannan karon ta zama shugabar ministar ilimin firamare da sakandare.  

Ta fara zaɓe ne a majalisar dokokin ƙasar Benin a shekarar 1999, sannan ta koma majalisa a shekarar 2003 tana wakiltar jam'iyyar siyasa ta African Movement for Development and Progress. Daga baya ta yi murabus daga jam’iyyar bayan zama minista bisa dalilan rashin gaskiya a harkokin tafiyar da ƙasar ta. 

Karimou na ɗaya daga cikin mutane biyu da suka jikkata a wani hatsarin mota da ya afku a babbar hanyar Bassila a ranar 14 ga watan Disamba, 2008, inda motar da suke ciki ta rasa yadda za ta yi bayan tayar da motar da suke ciki ta fashe. Mutane 5 ne suka mutu a hatsarin, daga cikinsu akwai tsohon jakadan ƙasar Canada da ministar gwamnati Véronique Ahoyo. 

A duk tsawon rayuwarta na siyasa, Rafiatou Karimou ta kasance mai ba da shawara ga mata masu shiga siyasa. A wata hira da aka yi da ita a watan Maris na 2017, ta ƙalubalanci mata da su wuce wajen taka rawa.  Ta mutu a ranar 4 ga watan Janairu 2018 a Paris, tana da shekaru 71. 

 Manazarta 

Rukuni:Mutuwan 2018
Rukuni:Haifaffun 1946