Mariam Chabi Talata

Mariam Chabi Talata Zimé Yérima (born 7 July 1963 at Bembéréké in Bénin), is a Beninese politician who is the current Vice President of Benin after being elected in the 2021 Beninese presidential election as the running mate of President Patrice Talon. She was sworn in on 23 May 2021.

Mariam Talata, is Benin’s first female vice-president. The former teacher and school inspector is one of a small but growing number of women reaching higher office across sub-Saharan Africa.

Education
After completing a literary baccalauréat at the CEG Akpakpa Centre in Cotonou (1985), she attended Benin National University's Faculty of Letters, Arts and Human Sciences, where she studied philosophy. After completing her bachelor's degree, she successfully passed the entrance examination to the École Normale Supérieure in Porto-Novo for a specialization in philosophy, graduating with a CAPES in philosophy. In 2006, she was admitted to the entrance examination for the National Education Management Staff Training Center, which enabled her to join the corps of general secondary education inspectors. She is a former presenter at the Deema community radio station in Parakou. This will serve her well in April 2021 when she attends meetings as Patrice Talon's running mate in the presidential election.

Working career
She taught in several schools in the north of the country, including CEG Hubert-Maga and the Notre-Dame de Fatima seminary, as well as in higher education, at the École Normale Supérieure in Porto-Novo. Her career in education was rounded off by her appointment to the corps of general secondary school inspectors, following her success in the EFPEEN entrance examination.

Mariam Chabi Talata also holds administrative positions at both local and national level. Her administrative career began in 2003 as Censor at CEG Hubert Maga. From 2013 to 2016, she was deputy pedagogical inspector (IPD) for the Borgou and Alibori departments. From 2016 to 2019, she was Director of General Secondary Education at the Ministry of Secondary and Technical Education and Professional Training.

Political career
Mariam Chabi Talata's political involvement started in 2001 when she joined Sacca Lafia's UDS party. She was elected city councillor of Parakou from 2008 to 2015 and, at the same time, held the position of President of the Women's Union of Elected City Councillors of the Alibori, Borgou and Hills Departments.

In 2016, she joined the coalitions of political parties that supported Patrice Talon's presidential run, which he successfully won. With the reform of the existing party system under way, she is among the founding members of the Progressive Union party, on whose behalf she took part in the 2019 legislative elections as a deputy for Interior Minister Sacca Lafia. Following the elections, she became a member of the 8th legislature and the first woman to be elected 1st Vice-President of the National Assembly of Benin. In 2019, during the communal elections, she was the first woman on the UP list in the 8th constituency.

In 2021, she ran as vice-president for Patrice Talon for the presidential election on April 11, 2021, marking President Patrice Talon's second term in office. She has been described as a 'feminist' and has campaigned on legalising abortion and on women's education.