Niankoro Yéah Samaké () (born February 27, 1969) is a social entrepreneur and politician from Ouélessébougou, Mali. Samaké served as the Malian Ambassador to India. He was nominated by the Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in May 2015 and he assumed the post in 2015. He was recalled from the post in 2018 for "incompetence." When he returned to Mali he organized for his political party to have a parade in his honor to celebrate his return. Samaké is the executive director of the Empower Mali Foundation, former mayor of Ouélessébougou, Vice President of Mali's League of Mayors, and was a candidate in the 2013 Malian presidential election.
Samaké ran as a candidate in the Malian Presidential elections on July 2, 2018.
Early life and education
The 8th of 18 children born to Tiecourafing Samaké who had three wives in a Muslim family, Niankoro Yéah Samaké was born in the small village of Ouélessébougou, where he and his family lived in such deep poverty that Samaké recalls how his mother would tie the stomachs of Samaké and his siblings to ease their hunger. Despite their material circumstances, Yéah's father Tiecourafing insisted that all of his children receive an education, not wanting them to suffer the darkness of illiteracy. An exception in a commune where only 15% of the population attended school, Samaké's father's vision contributed greatly to the family's later prominence in Ouélessébougou. Samaké recounts, "My father knew we would feel deprivation from time to time, but the odds weren't with us, anyway. When I was growing up, it was hard to survive. 45% of Malian children would die from malaria, diarrhea, and preventable diseases. We knew the challenges of staying well, but we believed in our father's wise resolve to have us educated. He is a hero to me, and any sacrifices were worth it." In addition to Samaké serving as mayor, one brother teaches physics at the university and some of Samaké's other brothers hold jobs in agricultural engineering and education.
Samaké finished high school at Lycée Prosper Kamara in Bamako, and continued his studies at École Normale Supérieure of Bamako, where he received a bachelor's degree in Teaching English as a Second Language. After completing school, finding no jobs, Samaké worked as a volunteer teacher in his village for the next three years. He also worked for the Ouélessébougou-Utah Alliance, an organization founded by Utahns in 1985 to partner with local Malians to improve heath, educational, and economic opportunities in the country. He supported himself during this time by working as a linguistic and cultural guide for the Peace Corps and Ouélessébougou Alliance. This brought him in contact with a couple from Colorado who were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Jeff and Gretchen Winston, who were impressed by Samaké's work ethic and his devotion to his community.
Brigham Young University (BYU) The Winstons sponsored Samaké to come to the United States to further his education. He was accepted to Brigham Young University (BYU) in 2000. At BYU, he earned a master's degree in public policy and served as president of the Black Student Union. During his time at BYU, Samaké met his wife Marissa Coutinho, a native of India who was studying Information Systems at BYU. While at BYU, Samaké completed an internship at the United Nations.
École normale supérieure (ENSUP) Samaké completed a 4-year bachelor's degree in Teaching English as a Second Language at the university École normale supérieure (ENSUP) in Bamako.
Career and politics
Ambassador of the Republic of Mali
On May 7, 2015, Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta appointed Samaké to be the second Ambassador of the Republic of Mali overseeing diplomatic relations with 10 countries: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam.
During his tenure as Ambassador, Samaké presented his credentials to the Heads of 8 of the countries he oversaw. He focused his diplomatic efforts in the field of culture, cotton, agriculture, education and solar energy.
During his tenure, Samaké also focused his efforts on agriculture and increasing cotton processing and export ties with different Indian businesses. Additionally, Samaké worked closely with universities in India and Bangladesh to create scholarship opportunities for Malian students to come study.
Solar also being a key topic, a partnership was forged with the Barefoot College and India's ITEC scholarship program to bring and train five rural Malian women in the field of solar power.