(Newswire.net — July 9, 2015) — On Thursday, May 7, 2015, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta announced that he has appointed Oueléssébougou Mayor Yeah Samaké as the Malian Ambassador to the Republic of India. The jurisdiction of the post in India covers the following countries: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam.
In the next few months, Mayor Samaké will travel to New Delhi, India to present his credentials, called a “Letter of Credence,” to the President of India, His Excellency Shri Pranab Mukherjee. Once he officially begins his work in India, he will resign his post as Mayor of Ouelessebougou and the city council will select a Mayor to replace him who will act in that role until the next elections are held.
Upon his appointment, Mayor Samaké released the following statement:
“President Keïta has appointed me as the Malian Ambassador to the Republic of India. As a result of this appointment, I will soon travel to India with my family to begin my work representing Malian interests in that country. I am grateful to President Keïta for this opportunity and look forward to representing Mali in this new role.
Malians benefit in many ways from trade with India, whether it be through our increased electricity or access to high-quality medicines resulting from Indian imports, or from our sales of cotton and other agricultural products to India that puts money in the pockets of Malians across the country. This continued and growing trade partnership is improving the lives of citizens in both countries, and I look forward to building upon this relationship in the coming years.
“As Mayor of Ouelessebougou over the last six years, I have worked tirelessly to improve the lives of everyone in our area. When I was first elected, less than ten percent of the population paid taxes, and government workers were owed six months of salary. When measured in terms of our governmental management and transparency, our commune was at the bottom of the list. Six years later, I am proud to say we have transformed our area, making it one of the most respected and admired areas in all of Mali. Today, 86 percent of our citizens pay taxes, and our area is seen as a model of transparent and effective government. Working with our city council and other local leaders, I have also brought investment and critical infrastructure to our area as well. We now have a hospital in our area. We have a high school for our children, and we have more primary schools as well. We have improved our water infrastructure. We have the largest solar panel field in West Africa. We are helping farmers with equipment so they can make their land more productive. Instead of citizens waiting weeks for their local government to help them with requests, now they wait only days—with many receiving help on the same day. We have shown this type of transformation is possible in Mali, and I know my successor will continue this effort to improve the lives of those in the Ouelessebougou area.
“In recent years, I have also worked as a part of Empower Mali and other foundations to help build schools for our children, provide scholarship opportunities to children in Mali to study abroad, purchase tractors for our farmers, and construct hospitals for our communities. While I am committed to my role as Ambassador, I will also continue to actively ensure through my contacts on the ground that our projects on the ground in Mali continue to grow, benefitting the communities in rural Mali. I urge Foundation benefactors to continue to support this work and encourage others to get involved as well.”
“I have worked hard every day as Mayor of Oueléssébougou to make lives better. It is with great honor that I accept the position of Ambassador to India, and I look forward to continuing my service to Mali in this new role. While this new position will take me away from my friends in and around Ouelessebougou, it will give me the opportunity to improve the lives of all Malians across the country.”
Contact:
Ryan Martin
Phone: 703-244-9098
Email: ryantemartin@gmail.com