User:Oumaima El Ouennychy/Edem Tengue

Kokou Edem Tengue, born September 24, 1980 in Lomé, is a Togolese politician, business leader, economist and chartered accountant.

Since October 1, 2020, he has been Minister of Maritime Economy, Fisheries and Coastal Protection in the Victoire Tomegah Dogbé government.

Youth and training
Edem Tengue is the son of Kokou Frederic Tengue, head of Togo's banking training center from 1986 to 2004, and Danhoui Amegnihoue, a civil servant in Togo's Ministry of Education.

A graduate of Sciences Po Paris, the University of Leicester and the University of Birmingham, he joined the Maersk Group's training program in Copenhagen from 2003 to 2005. He also holds an MBA from Imperial College London.

From 2005 to 2007, he was assigned as assistant to the CFO of the Group's regional office covering Scandinavia and the Baltic States. He was based in Gothenburg, Sweden.

He returned to Togo as financial director of the three group companies: Maersk Togo SA, Damco Togo SA and Lomé Terminal service that the Maersk group had created with the aim of bidding for the privatization of handling activities at the port of Lomé. He was appointed commercial director then general manager of the Togolese subsidiary of the Danish conglomerate Maersk

He is elected President of the Togo Association of Shipping Companies.

Political career
He was elected in the Haho electoral district to the Togolese National Assembly under the colors of the UNIR party in the 2018 legislative elections. However, he resigned after three months.

On October 1, 2020, he was appointed Minister for the Maritime Economy.

Professional associations
Edem Tengue belongs to the Order of Chartered Accountants of the United Kingdom  ( CIMA  (en)  ; associate member  ), to the Order of Chartered Accountants of Australia  ( CPA Australia  (en) )  ​​and to the UK Institute of Leadership and Management.

Positions
As an economist, Edem Tengue worked on sovereign debt issues of African countries, work culminated in a dissertation at the University of Birmingham  and a doctoral thesis defended at the University of Lomé on the theme of the determinants and sustainability of public debt. He states in particular that forgiveness programs are not very effective if they do not address the determinants of debt such as demographics, imports and exports. He maintains that it is by reducing demographics and imports and increasing exports in value that we can sustainably reverse the trend towards the accumulation of debt in African countries. He also maintains that the southern states which have a coastal facade should, through the development and sustainable development of this facade (port activities, tourist activities) create a showcase of prosperity which should reflect this prosperity on their back country  .

On the political level, in his memoirs at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, he asserts that the link between democracy and development cannot be clearly established, contrary to the promises of the La Baule Speech. He argues that it is better to build democratic fundamentals through the construction of a rule of law and economic freedoms

Togo's current Minister for the Maritime Economy and Coastal Protection believes that maritime stakeholders are in the front line when it comes to saving biodiversity. He advocates a blue economy as a gas pedal of sustainable growth. His department has put the accent on aquaculture and imposed a sub-regional biological rest period.

Distinction

 * 2017: Among the 20 Young Leaders of the French-African Foundation
 * 2018: Choiseuil ranking of tomorrow's economic leaders
 * 2022: Among the thirty most influential young economists in sub-Saharan Africa by the ICCE (Institute of Certified Chartered Economists)
 * Officer of the Order of Mono (2018)

Notes and references

 * Policy Portal
 * Togo Portal