Jeanne-Irène Biya
was the former First Lady of Cameroon and the first wife of Paul Biya, who has served as the President of Cameroon since 1982.
Jeanne-Irène Biya died in office in Yaoundé at age 56. She was succeeded by Chantal Biya as first lady of Cameroon in 1994 . She married Paul Biya on 2 September 1961, in Antony, Paris. She studied at the midwifery school in Nantes and, after her return to Cameroon, worked as a qualified midwife in the Pavillon Baudelocque of the Yaoundé Central Hospital. She was socially committed, particularly to children.
