Jeanne Gervais
Jeanne Gervais, née Jeanne Ahou Siefer-N’Dri was an Ivorian politician and the first woman minister in Côte d'Ivoire.
Born in Grand-Bassam, Gervais was the daughter of a French father and a Baoulé mother. A longtime member of the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire – African Democratic Rally, she participated in the women's march in her hometown in 1949. Trained as a teacher, she became one of three women, alongside Hortense Aka-Anghui and Gladys Anoma, elected to the National Assembly immediately after independence; she served in that body from 1965 until 1980. In 1976 she was named head of the Ministry of Women's Affairs, remaining in that role until 1984 and becoming the first woman to serve in the Ivorian cabinet. She was also active for many years as president of the
Association des Femmes Ivoiriennes.
