Mahawa Bangoura Camara (born 13 March 1927) is a Guinean diplomat and politician. She is the first woman to serve as Foreign Minister of Guinea.[1] She was Guinea's Ambassador to the United States, and its permanent representative at the United Nations.
Mahawa Bangoura Camara was born on 13 March 1927 in Conakry, Guinea.[2]
Bangoura was appointed Guinea's Ambassador to the United States in 1995.[2]
Bangoura was Guinea's permanent representative at the United Nations until June 2000, when she became the country's first women foreign minister, succeeding Zainoul Abidine Sannoussi.[3] [4] [1] She was appointed by the President Lansana Conte during a reshuffle which saw five senior ministers being replaced.[3] Bangoura and the new security and interior minister Ahmadou Camara became secretaries of state, and senior status within the cabinet behind the Prime Minister, Lamine Sidime.[3]
In August 2001, she met with her Liberian and Sierra Leonean counterparts in Monrovia, Liberia to try to bring peace to the three countries of the Mano River Union (MRU).[5] [6] Bangoura remained foreign minister until 2002.[2]