Véronique Aka

Véronique Bra Kanon (née Aka; born 16 August 1959) is an Ivorian politician and vice-president of the National Assembly of the Ivory Coast. She was the first woman to be president of an Ivorian regional council, leading the council of Moronou from 2013 to 2018.

Véronique Aka
Vice-President of National Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 April 2017
President	Alassane Ouattara (of Ivory Coast) Guillaume Soro (of assembly)
Prime Minister	Amadou Gon Coulibaly (2017–)
President of the Regional Council of Moronou
In office 29 June 2013 – 13 October 2018
President	Alassane Ouattara
Prime Minister	Daniel Kablan Duncan (2012–2017) Amadou Gon Coulibaly (2017–)
Succeeded by	Pascal Affi N'Guessan
Personal details
Born	(1959-08-16) 16 August 1959 (age 65) M'Batto, Ivory Coast
Political party	Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire – African Democratic Rally
Spouse	Denis Bra Kanon [fr] ​ ​ (m. 2009; died 2009)​

Biography

Véronique Aka was born on 16 August 1959, in M'Batto, Ivory Coast; she was one of three children adopted by Félix and Marie-Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny.^[1] She married former mayor of Daloa and Minister of Agriculture, Denis Bra Kanon [fr] at the Château d'Augerville in France on 15 April 2009.^[2] Kanon went into cardiac arrest and died on 10 June 2009.^[3]

Career

In 2004, Aka set up a real estate company, Sotrapim (La Société de Travaux et de Promotion Immobilière). On 29 March 2006, she founded Mi-Moyé, a microfinance company designed to give loans to women in order for them to overcome poverty and allow them to fulfill their goals.^[4]

Political

Since 2006, Aka has been the president of the Réseau des Femmes africaines Ministres et Parlementaires de Côte d'Ivoire (REFAMPCI), a network of female African ministers and parliamentarians in the Ivory Coast.^[5] The group's goal is to unite women and fight female poverty.^[6]

In 2013, Aka ran as an independent and won in the regional elections for Moronou with 46.18% of the votes (20,459),^[7] beating out PDCI candidate, Ahoua N'Doli.^[8] Her win made her the first female to be elected president of an Ivorian regional council.^[9][10] Aka was instated as president at a ceremony on 29 June 2013.^[11]

On 15 June 2015, the PDCI-RDA elected Aka to be the president of the rural division of the Union des femmes de PDCI (UFPDCI).^[12]

On 5 April 2017, Guillaume Soro appointed Aka as one of eleven vice-presidents of the National Assembly of the Ivory Coast.^[13]

On 29 September 2018, Aka began her campaign for re-election in the 2018 regional elections for Moronou.^[14] She faced off against high-profile FPI candidate Pascal Affi N'Guessan.^[15] The Commission Electorale Indépendante (CEI) declared Affi the winner of the election on 13 October with – Aka disputed the results, claiming he sequestered and threatened the president of the CEI,^[16] stating that "a robbery took place".^[17]

Election results

2013 Ivory Coast Regional Elections: Moronou^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Véronique Aka	20,459	46.18
	PDCI–RDA	Ahoua N'Doli	13,973	31.54
	Independent	Assoumou Mea	6,349	14.33
	Independent	Akpoue Brou Jean	3,518	7.94

2018 Ivory Coast Regional Elections: Moronou^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	FPI	Pascal Affi N'Guessan	26,027	43.15
	PDCI–RDA	Véronique Aka	25,703	42.61
	Independent	Siméon Ané Boni	7,601	12.60

References

1. Duhem, Vincent (2 November 2017). "Femmes politiques ivoiriennes d'influence : Véronique Aka, présidente du conseil régional du Moronou". Jeune Afrique (in French). Retrieved 10 February 2019.
2. Achy, Victor (18 April 2009). "Mariage de D. Bra Kanon et Véronique AKA". Youtube. Augerville-la-Rivière, France. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
3. Depry, Didier (12 June 2009). "Cote d'Ivoire: Il était une fois Bra Kanon". allAfrica (in French). Retrieved 4 February 2019.
4. Christophe, Brou (31 May 2008). "Microfinance – Lutte contre la pauvreté – Mi Moyé offre 100 millions à ses membres". Koffi (in French). Retrieved 12 February 2019.
5. Christophe, Koffi Brou (22 March 2008). "À l'écoute : Le Refampci célèbre son 10e anniversaire". Koffi (in French). Retrieved 12 February 2019.
6. Dessrait, Félix Teha (14 December 2006). "Cote d'Ivoire: "Nous allons continuer à aider les femmes démunies"". AllAfrica. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
7. "Mme Aka Amanan Veronique – Regionales 2013". Abidjan (in French). Retrieved 12 February 2019.
8. Adam's Régis Souaga (23 April 2013). "Le Pdci torpille le Pdci et fait perdre Ahoua N'doli". Le Banco (in French). Moronou. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
9. "Femmes politiques ivoiriennes d'influence: Véronique Aka, présidente du conseil régional du Moronou". Afrique Femme (in French). 3 November 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
10. Cheickna, Sali D. (7 May 2013). "Pdci-Rda: Élue présidente de région, Véronique Aka "remet" sa victoire à Bédié". Le Banco (in French). Retrieved 5 March 2019.
11. "Le bureau du Conseil régional du Moronou installé". Abidjan (in French). 1 July 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
12. "UFPDCI et JPDCI: Véronique Aka, Mme Ehui, Valentin N'Dri...aux commandes". Abidjan (in French). Fraternité Matin. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
13. Kautcha, Donatien (5 April 2017). "Côte d'Ivoire: Assemblée Nationale, voici les 11 vice-présidents qui vont suppléer Guillaume Soro". KOACI (in French). Abidjan. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
14. Claver, Jules (1 October 2018). "Cote d'Ivoire: Régionale dans le Moronou/AKA Véronique – "Je vais battre Affi sans problème"". AllAfrica (in French). Retrieved 11 February 2019.
15. Polichinelle, Dreyfus (1 September 2018). "Côte d'Ivoire: Régionales, Affi N'Guessan candidat contre Véronique Aka". Afrique Sur (in French). Abidjan. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
16. "Côte d'Ivoire: le président du FPI accusé d'intimidation dans une élection régionale". Africa 1 (in French). 16 October 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
17. "Moronou, Véronique Aka accuse: " Il y a eu braquage, Affi n'est pas au-dessus des lois"". Ivoire Soir (in French). Moronou. 20 October 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
18. COMMISSION ELECTORALE INDEPENDANTE (21 April 2013). "ELECTION DES CONSEILLERS REGIONAUX" (PDF) (in French). Moronou. p. 2. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
19. "Elections Municipales et Régionales 2018 en Côte d'ivoire". Abidjan (in French). Moronou. Retrieved 13 February 2019.