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Benin's former President Mathieu Kerekou, the man hailed as helping to usher in multi-party democracy in Africa, has died at the age of 82.

Mr Kerekou had two spells as president totalling nearly 30 years, first coming to power as the head of a Marxist regime in 1972.

But he then accepted the idea of multi-party democracy and organised elections, which he lost in 1991.

He became the first West African leader to admit defeat in an election.

Current President Thomas Boni Yayi described the former president as a great man and declared a week of official mourning.