Dama Dramani
Encyclopedia
Dama Dramani is a Togo
lese politician. He was Secretary-General of the Rally of the Togolese People
(RPT) from 2003 to 2006 and is currently the President of the RPT Parliamentary Group in the National Assembly
.
Dramani, who was born in Manigri
, Benin
, is a member of the Bassari
ethnic group; he is also a half-brother of one of Gnassingbé Eyadéma
's wives, Lami. A civil administrator, Dramani was appointed as Director of Equipment and Real Estate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation on August 19, 1980, and then as Director of the Cabinet of the Ministry of Public Health on September 4, 1980. While serving as Regional Commissioner of Dapaong
, he was appointed as District Head (chef de conscription) of Lomé
on May 26, 1981. He subsequently served as Prefect of Golfe
before being appointed as Director of the Cabinet of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation on January 27, 1982. In that capacity, Dramani signed the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights
on behalf of Togo on February 26, 1982.
In the March 1999 parliamentary election
, Dramani was elected to the National Assembly as the RPT candidate in the Second Constituency of Tchamba Prefecture
; he faced no opposition and won the seat with 100% of the vote. He then served in the government as Minister of Trade, Industry, Transport, and the Free Zone until he was excluded from the government that was named on July 29, 2003. At the RPT's Eighth Ordinary Congress in late November 2003, he was elected as Secretary-General of the RPT.
Following the death of President Eyadéma on February 5, 2005, Dramani said that it was "tragic for Togo". Eyadéma's son Fauré Gnassingbé
succeeded him as President, but this was succession was widely deemed unconstitutional. Dramani was included as part of a Togolese delegation that travelled to Niamey
on February 12 in an attempt to explain and defend Gnassingbé's succession to the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS), which had reacted to it with hostility.
Dramani was replaced as RPT Secretary-General by Solitoki Esso at the party's Ninth Ordinary Congress in December 2006. He remained a member of the RPT Political Bureau and a member of the RPT Central Committee from Tchamba Prefecture.
Dramani was the first candidate on the RPT's candidate list for Tchamba Prefecture
in the October 2007 parliamentary election
, and he was elected to the National Assembly. Following the election, he became President of the RPT Parliamentary Group.
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
lese politician. He was Secretary-General of the Rally of the Togolese People
Rally of the Togolese People
The Rally of the Togolese People is the ruling political party in Togo. The President of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé, is also the National President of the RPT....
(RPT) from 2003 to 2006 and is currently the President of the RPT Parliamentary Group in the National Assembly
National Assembly of Togo
The unicameral National Assembly of Togo is the country's legislative body. It has a total of 81 members who are elected in a party list proportional representation system...
.
Dramani, who was born in Manigri
Manigri
Manigri is a village and arrondissement in the commune of Bassila in the Donga Department of western Benin. It is a south-eastern suburb of Bassila town.-External links:*...
, Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
, is a member of the Bassari
Bassari people
The Bassari people are an African people living in Senegal, Gambia, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. The total population is between 10,000 and 30,000. Most of the Bassari are concentrated on either side of the Senegal-Guinea border southwest of Kedougou, Kédougou Region...
ethnic group; he is also a half-brother of one of Gnassingbé Eyadéma
Gnassingbé Eyadéma
General Gnassingbé Eyadéma , was the President of Togo from 1967 until his death in 2005. He participated in two successful military coups, in January 1963 and January 1967, and became President on April 14, 1967...
's wives, Lami. A civil administrator, Dramani was appointed as Director of Equipment and Real Estate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation on August 19, 1980, and then as Director of the Cabinet of the Ministry of Public Health on September 4, 1980. While serving as Regional Commissioner of Dapaong
Dapaong
Dapaong is a city in northern Togo and prefecture seat of Tône in the Savanes Region. It is situated 638 km north of the capital Lomé, near the border with Burkina Faso. It is a market town and has a small museum....
, he was appointed as District Head (chef de conscription) of Lomé
Lomé
Lomé, with an estimated population of 737,751, is the capital and largest city of Togo. Located on the Gulf of Guinea, Lomé is the country's administrative and industrial center and its chief port. The city exports coffee, cocoa, copra, and palm kernels...
on May 26, 1981. He subsequently served as Prefect of Golfe
Golfe
Golfe is a prefecture located in the Maritime Region of Togo. The prefecture seat is located in Lomé....
before being appointed as Director of the Cabinet of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation on January 27, 1982. In that capacity, Dramani signed the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights
The African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights is an international human rights instrument that is intended to promote and protect human rights and basic freedoms in the African continent....
on behalf of Togo on February 26, 1982.
In the March 1999 parliamentary election
Togolese parliamentary election, 1999
Parliamentary elections were held in Togo on 21 March 1999. They were boycotted by the eight opposition parties, who been rebuffed in their insistence that talks following the controversial presidential election the previous year must be completed prior to the parliamentary election...
, Dramani was elected to the National Assembly as the RPT candidate in the Second Constituency of Tchamba Prefecture
Tchamba Prefecture
Tchamba Prefecture is one of the prefectures of Togo located in the Centrale Region.The center is at Tchamba....
; he faced no opposition and won the seat with 100% of the vote. He then served in the government as Minister of Trade, Industry, Transport, and the Free Zone until he was excluded from the government that was named on July 29, 2003. At the RPT's Eighth Ordinary Congress in late November 2003, he was elected as Secretary-General of the RPT.
Following the death of President Eyadéma on February 5, 2005, Dramani said that it was "tragic for Togo". Eyadéma's son Fauré Gnassingbé
Faure Gnassingbé
Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé has been the President of Togo since May 4, 2005. A son of President Gnassingbé Eyadéma, he was appointed to the government by his father, serving as Minister of Equipment, Mines, Posts, and Telecommunications from 2003 to 2005...
succeeded him as President, but this was succession was widely deemed unconstitutional. Dramani was included as part of a Togolese delegation that travelled to Niamey
Niamey
-Population:While Niamey's population has grown steadily since independence, the droughts of the early 1970s and 1980s, along with the economic crisis of the early 1980s, have propelled an exodus of rural inhabitants to Niger's largest city...
on February 12 in an attempt to explain and defend Gnassingbé's succession to the Economic Community of West African States
Economic Community of West African States
The Economic Community of West African States is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region....
(ECOWAS), which had reacted to it with hostility.
Dramani was replaced as RPT Secretary-General by Solitoki Esso at the party's Ninth Ordinary Congress in December 2006. He remained a member of the RPT Political Bureau and a member of the RPT Central Committee from Tchamba Prefecture.
Dramani was the first candidate on the RPT's candidate list for Tchamba Prefecture
Tchamba
Tchamba is a city located in Tchamba Prefecture in the Centrale Region of Togo.Tchamba is originally a tribe in the present day Ghana.They were known as the Aborigines of Northern Ghana, covering Tamale, Bim Billa, Tikokonba Nanumba and others...
in the October 2007 parliamentary election
Togolese parliamentary election, 2007
A parliamentary election was held in Togo on October 14, 2007 for the 81 seats in the National Assembly. There were over 2,000 candidates, with 32 parties and 41 lists of independent candidates competing. The ruling Rally of the Togolese People was victorious, winning a majority of 50 seats...
, and he was elected to the National Assembly. Following the election, he became President of the RPT Parliamentary Group.