Biographical Note
Boèvi Kouglo Lawson Body
Head of Economic Research, International Trade Union Confederation-Africa
Mr. Lawson Body is an economist and coordinator of the “Economy and Social Policy Programme” of
the African Regional Organization of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa). ITUCAfrica represents several millions of workers who are organized in 94 trade union centres in 51 African
countries. ITUC-Africa has been created in Accra in November 2007, following the merger of two former
African trade union organizations, namely the African Regional Organization of the International
Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU-Afro) and the Democratic Organization of African Workers
Trade Unions (DOAWTU).
Mr. Lawson Body started his career as Lecturer and Researcher: from 1979 to 1983, he worked at the
University of Bordeaux 1, from 1984 to 2001 at the “Ecole Nationale d'Administration” (ENA) in Lomé
and from 1987 to 2007 at the Faculty of Economics and Management at the University of Lomé. He also
served as Chief of the Department of Economics (1990-1995) and Chief of the Division for Scientific
Research (1999-2007) at the University of Lomé. During his academic career he also was member of
various research networks.
Mr. Lawson Body is very active in the trade union movement and in civil society in Africa as well as on an
international level. In this function, he already participated in several high-level meetings treating
questions of development. At ITUC-Africa, he is responsible for the supervision and coordination of
trade union researchers who are working on issues regarding economic and social development in
African countries. Mr. Lawson Body is member of a trade union working group entrusted with the
elaboration of a new model for development and growth in Africa. As part of his professional activities
and his civic commitment, he conducted various research works and authored several publications.
Mr. Lawson Body holds a Master in Economics of the University of Benin in Lomé (Togo) and a PhD in
Economics and International Finance of the University of Bordeaux I (France).