Oumarou Kanazoé

Oumarou Kanazoé (born December 31, 1927 in Yako , Upper Volta , † October 19, 2011 in Yako, Burkina Faso ) was an entrepreneur from Burkina Faso. He was the founder, owner and managing director of the construction company OK - Entreprise Oumarou Kanazoé until his death .

Life

Kanazoé grew up in modest circumstances in Yako . When he was not working in the field, he attended the Koran school. Kanazoé's father dies at the age of 12 and the young Kanazoé has to fight to survive. He begins to dye and sell cotton strips, first in the markets of the surrounding villages and later in the important trading cities of Kumasi ( Ghana ) and Mopti ( Mali ). At the beginning he always completed his trade trips on foot, later also by donkey and bicycle.

Success soon set in and Kanazoé switched to more profitable merchandise such as kola nuts , salt and sandals. In 1950 he settled in Yako again, married his first wife, and used his savings to open a grocer and a small restaurant. Five years later he bought a truck that allowed him to enter the transport sector and the building materials trade. With the establishment of his construction company OK - Entreprise Oumarou Kanazoé in 1973, he laid the foundation for his soaring. A few years later, the company was one of the largest construction companies in West Africa.

With his " rags-to- riches to millionaire career", Kanazoé became a symbol of hope for many people in West Africa, but at the same time, as a typical representative of a clientelist upper class, despite his strong commitment to Islam and the fight against poverty, he was always in of criticism.

Kanazoé died on October 19, 2011 in Yako.

politics

Although Kanazoé never ran for political office or was a member of a party, he also played an important political role in Burkina Faso due to his economic power. He was close to the dominant ruling party, the CDP .

Kanazoé played a more active role - for example as President of the Burkina Faso Chamber of Commerce - in trade and economic policy and in the Muslim community of Burkina Faso ( Communauté musulmane du Burkina ), whose presidency he took over in 2004.

Awards and personal life

Signpost to the reservoir Oumarou Kanazoé in Yako

Kanazoé was a moderate, devout Muslim . A few years ago he undertook the Hajj and accordingly carried the honorary title " Hajji (حاجي). ”He was also awarded several medals and titles of honor, including the National Order of Merit of Burkina Faso. A main street in Ouagadougou (Avenue Oumarou Kanazoé) and a reservoir near Yako were named after him.

Kanazoé was married to four women and had 32 children.

Footnotes and Sources

1. ↑ CV and awards: see page no longer available , search in web archives: Entry via Kanazoé on the website of petiteacademie.gov.bf , the online documentation center of the Burkinabe authorities
2. ↑ See also “Petit vendeur ambulant, il s'est hissé au premier rang des entrepreneurs du Burkina Faso”, Les Afriques - Le journal de la finance Africaine , November 2007, article no longer online today
3. ↑ In this case, clientelism should not be confused with neopatrimonialism
4. ↑ Décès de El Hadj Oumarou Kanazoé: "Lagui" repose à coté de sa mère à Yako , lefaso.net, October 21, 2011.
5. ↑ See analysis of the municipal elections 2006 in L'Indépendant online ( Memento of the original from November 14, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
6. ↑ See the economic directory La maison de l'Afrique ( Memento of January 3, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
7. ↑ Source: Oumarou Kanazoé reprend sa chose , L'Observateur paalga , 2004. The article was also available online until summer 2008.