Moussa Okanla

Moussa Okanla (born September 2, 1950) is a Beninese scholar and diplomat. Okanla was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government named on June 17, 2007, and was replaced by Jean-Marie Ehouzou on 22 October 2008.

He is currently a lecturer in Political Science in the University of Abomey-Calavi and a lecturer in International Relations at Houdegbe North American University Benin.(HNAUB). From 1987 to 1994, he was the Benin Representative of the African and Afroamerican Institute (AAI) based in New York. From 1991 to 1994, he was the Technical Advisor for International Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Benin Republic. From 1994 to 1998, he was the Specialist in Democracy and Governance for USAID regional office based in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. From 1999 to 2000, he was the Governance Advisor for UNDP bureau in Cotonou Benin. From 2001 to 2003, he was the Deputy Director and Director of the Benin School of Public Administration and Magistrate. From 2004 to 2007, he was a Program Officer for PGDP, a program on governance funded by DANIDA and administered by NIRAS-Denmark Order of National Merit Commander (since March 2012)

He attended primary and secondary schools in his hometown, Porto-Novo, from 1957 through 1971. Then he enrolled in the University of Dahomey (currently University of Abomey-Calavi) where he was awarded the bachelor's degree in History. In 1974 he entered the Master's program at the International Relations Institute of Cameroon Yaounde, he completed with the master's degree in 1976. After spending one academic year in Gabon as a lecturer at the Ecole Normale Supérieure du Gabon, Libreville, he entered the doctoral program at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Okanla holds a PhD in political science, specializing in international relations, from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor