IVORY COAST PRIME MINISTER HAMED BAKAYOKO DIES OF CANCER AT 56.
Written by admin on March 11, 2021
Ivory Coast Prime Minister Hamed Bakayoko, who was seen as a possible successor to President Alassane Ouattara, has died in Freiburg in southwestern Germany, two days after his 56th birthday.
A former media executive who turned to politics, Bakayoko acted as a negotiator and intermediary between warring factions during a prolonged civil conflict in Ivory Coast from the early 2000s.
He was appointed as prime minister in July 2020 following the sudden death of his predecessor Amadou Gon Coulibaly, who had been handpicked by Ouattara to succeed him.
Patrick Achi, secretary general to the presidency of the Ivory Coast, was appointed Monday interim prime minister while the country’s premier, Hamed Bakayoko, was in Europe receiving medical treatment, the president’s office had said. “State minister Patrick Achi will take over the functions of prime minister and head of government in an interim capacity.”
Bakayoko was reported to have died of cancer.
