Koffi Panou was a Togo

Togo

Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...

lese politician and diplomat who served under President Gnassingbé Eyadéma

Gnassingbé Eyadéma

General Gnassingbé Eyadéma , was the President of Togo from 1967 until his death in 2005. He participated in two successful military coups, in January 1963 and January 1967, and became President on April 14, 1967...

.

Panou, who was from Lacs Prefecture

Lacs, Togo

Lacs is a prefecture located in the Maritime Region of Togo. The prefecture seat is located in Aného. It contains Togo's farthest east point....

 in southern Togo, graduated from ESIJY in Yaounde

Yaoundé

-Transportation:Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport is a major civilian hub, while nearby Yaoundé Airport is used by the military. Railway lines run west to the port city of Douala and north to N'Gaoundéré. Many bus companies operate from the city; particularly in the Nsam and Mvan neighborhoods...

, Cameroon

Cameroon

Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...

 in the 1970s and worked as a journalist. He became Director of National Television in 1986, then was a Special Advisor to the President. After serving as Secretary-General of the Presidency, he was named Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1996, in which position he served until September 1, 1998, when he was named Minister of Communication and Civic Education. After two years in the latter position, he was again named Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government named on October 8, 2000. He was a member of the West African mediation group during the Ivorian Civil War and participated in the cease-fire negotiations. He remained Foreign Minister until being replaced by Roland Kpotsra

Roland Kpotsra

Yao Roland Kpotsra is a Togolese diplomat and politician. He was Togo's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1996 to 2002 and again from 2007 to 2009; he was also Foreign Minister from 2002 to 2003....

 in the government named on December 3, 2002.

Panou, who had been ill and had been to France for treatment at Val-de-Grâce

Val-de-Grâce

This article describes the hospital and former abbey. For the main article on Mansart and Lemercier's central church, see Church of the Val-de-Grâce....

 Military Hospital, died of a heart attack on March 15, 2003 in Kara Region

Kara Region

Kara is one of Togo's five regions. Kara is the regional capital.Other major cities in the Kara region include Bafilo, Bassar, and Niamtougou.Kara is divided into the prefectures of Assoli, Bassar, Bimah, Dankpen, Doufelgou, Kéran, and Kozah....

. He was participating in a traditional dance at the funeral of his mother, who had died in 1999, in Kabou

Kabou

Kabou is a village in the Bassar Prefecture in the Kara Region of north-western Togo.-External links:**...

, Bassar Prefecture

Bassar

Bassar is a town in Bassar Prefecture, Kara Region in Togo, situated west of Kara. The town has a population of 64,888.-Culture:Bassar was originally a centre for iron making. It now is known as the yam capital of Togo...

, when he fell ill, and he died while he was being taken for treatment. His funeral was held in Lomé on March 27. The memorial service was performed by Charles Kondi Agba

Charles Kondi Agba

Charles Kondi Agba is a Togolese politician who served in the government of Togo from 1999 to 2008. He has been Minister of Health since June 2011....

, a government minister.