Togo gets first female prime minister

Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbe has appointed Victoire Tomegah-Dogbe as prime minister, the first woman to hold the position in the West African nation.

Her appointment follows the resignation of the government of Prime Minister Komi Selom Klassou on Friday.

Tomegah-Dogbe, 60, has held several ministerial positions since 2008, including recently that of development minister, and also chief of staff of the president’s office.

The change in Togo’s government had been expected since Gnassingbe won re-election in March, extending his 15-year rule and a family dynasty that began when his father took power in a 1967 coup.