October 21, 2008
For Immediate Release
For an Interview:
Maryna Storrs
(801) 863-8897
Ambassador of Mali, H.E. Abdoulaye Diop, will be speaking about business opportunities in Africa, particularly in Mali, to students at Utah Valley University on Oct. 23 from 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. in WB 106. The lecture is free and open to the public. Those who are interested in attending the lecture must come no later than 8:30 a.m. to avoid disrupting the business law class that is hosting the ambassador.
"Students will learn about Mali, investment opportunities in Mali and the work the ambassador has done while furthering his diplomatic career," said Maryna Storrs, program coordinator for the Office of International Affairs and Diplomacy at UVU. "It is an honor to host ambassadors on UVU campus."
Diop has been a member of several national delegations and has attended regional and international conferences to discuss issues such as regional integration, economic development, peace and security. His previous work included service as diplomatic adviser in Mali to President Alpha Oumar Konaré and President Amadou Toumani Touré.
Diop had an active role when Mali assumed the chairmanship of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAMEMU). He also oversaw Mali’s participation in the Security Council of the United Nations and monitored initiatives for the creation of the African Union.
Prior to being the diplomatic adviser to the president, Diop acted as the advisor to the minister of foreign affairs. He also held the position of counselor at the Mali Embassy in Belgium and was in charge of multi-lateral cooperation issues. He was an active participant in the treaty negotiations between the African, Caribbean and Pacific States and the European Union, which resulted in an agreement signed in Cotonou, Benin, in 2000.
Diop has two master’s degrees, one in international relations from the Paris International Institute of Public Administration and the other from the University of Paris XI in diplomacy and management of international organizations. He earned his bachelor’s degree in diplomacy from the National School of Administration of Algeria. Diop was born in Brazzaville, Congo, and is married with five children.
In addition to speaking to UVU students during Diop’s trip, he is in Utah to induct N. Yeah Samaké as the new honorary consul of Mali in Utah. Samaké is a Utah resident who currently serves as the executive director of the Mali Rising Foundation, a non-profit organization established to provide better access to education for millions of children around the world.
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College Marketing Contact:
Erin Spurgeon
(801) 863-6807
Written by:
Britnee Nguyen
(801) 863-8504