Yeah Samake

The Winstons sponsored Samaké to come to the United States to further his education.[11] He was accepted to Brigham Young University (BYU) in 2000.[2][13] At BYU, he earned a master's degree in public policy and served as president of the Black Student Union.[11] During his time at BYU, Samake met his wife Marissa Coutinho, a native of India who was studying Information Systems at BYU.[4][14][15] While at BYU, Samake completed an internship at the United Nations.[7]

Samake completed a 4-year bachelor's degree in Teaching English as a Second Language at the university Ecole normale supérieure (ENSUP) in Bamako.[8][9]

On May 7, 2015, Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita appointed Samake 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.[16]

During his tenure as Ambassador, Samake 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, Samake also focused his efforts on agriculture[17] and increasing cotton processing and export ties with different Indian businesses.[18][19] Additionally, Samake 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.[20]

On January 22, 2018, Samake announced that he would run for the Presidency of Mali in the July 29, 2018 elections. He left his post to return to Mali.

Due to his work in development, Samake became well known and respected in Mali.[5] In 2009, Samake recounts how the current mayor, who had already been in power for 10 years, was seeking re-election for a third term. At this time less than 10% of the population of Ouelessebougou was paying their taxes and salaries were behind for 6 months.[13] Samake ran for the position of Mayor of Ouelessebougou under the Union for the Republic and Democracy (URD) party. Ouelessebougou encompasses 44 villages. Samaké's name was listed at the top of a slate of 23 candidates for council positions.[5] Samake won with 86 percent of the vote.[2][21] Samake focused on ending corruption and increasing government transparency as Mayor. In 2009, Ouéléssébougou was ranked 699 out of 703 communes (groupings of tribal villages) in Mali for governmental management and transparency.[11] Two years into Samaké's tenure as mayor, the city now ranks in the top 10 in the country, with a tax collection rate of 68 percent.[11] Samake's term as mayor has seen a significant rise in tax revenue as well. Prior to his election as mayor, less than 10% of the population were paying their taxes.[22] At the end of 2010, tax collection had risen to 68%, and is expected to reach between 80-90% by the end of 2011.[22] As Samake turned Ouelessebougou around, he was elected vice president of Mali's League of Mayors (704 mayors nationwide). In December 2011, Samake coordinated with the Utah League of Cities and Towns to bring several mayors from Mali to Utah so that they could experience better government practices.[4][23] He also lobbied for and got increased resources from the central government to build a new hospital, a first public high school in the region, a new water pump system to replace old water wells and a solar panel field, the largest in West Africa.[4][24] Included in his track record as Mayor, Samake with funds from the government has also provided funds in the amount of 5 million FCFA(about 10000USD) to repair and equip existing schools with school desks and supplies.[25] Samake also helps facilitate medical and dental expeditions from US partners.[26]

On May 7, 2015, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita appointed Yeah Samake to be the Ambassador of the Republic of Mali to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam and Thailand.

In February 2013, Samake created and became the Country Director for the Empower Mali Foundation.[27] Empower Mali, a US-based organization, focuses on working with rural communities in Mali, West Africa to meet the growing needs in the areas of education, healthcare, clean water and clean energy.[28] Empower Mali seeks to build permanent skills in its beneficiaries and not just solve temporary problems. This is the logic behind the investment the use. They seek to have the benefited communities involved in both the needs assessment and financial portion of their projects.[29] To date Empower Mali has been able to bring 6 additional middle schools, 2 teachers housings, 2 electric playgrounds, a tablet program for schools, host a governance summit between Mali and Utah and sponsored an after school program in 16 of the poorest schools in the Malian capital city of Bamako providing children with additional study/teacher aid.[30][31]

After graduating with a master's degree in Public Policy in 2004, Adrian Escalante founded the Daily Dose Foundation, now known as the Mali Rising Foundation and made Samake the Executive Director. The focus of the Mali Rising Foundation is to improve the educational opportunities of children living in rural Mali. They do this by building schools in villages where schools do not exist as well as providing teacher training and learning resources and materials.[32] Through his work with the Foundation, Samake has helped build 17 schools in Mali over the last nine years serving more than 2,500 students between the ages of 13 and 17.[33]

In 2011, Samake and his followers formed the Party for Civic and Patriotic Action (PACP) to support his Presidential run.[6] The PACP charter emphasizes the values of patriotism, citizenship, decentralization, freedom, democracy, human rights, and good governance.[34][35]

Yeah Samake speaking in front of crowd in Beneko, Mali

Samake ran on a platform of decentralization and anti-corruption. Based on his experiences as mayor, Samake stated that the most effective way to govern is to inspire the trust and participation of citizens at the local level.[36]

In an effort to fight corruption in the electoral system, Samake did not fund-raise in Mali, where political funds are connected to political favors, but instead in the United States and through online donations.[7]

Malians were scheduled to vote in a two poll race on April 29, 2012.[37][38]

However, the 2012 presidential election failed to happen due to a military coup d'état that overthrew the Malian government.

Elections were rescheduled for July 28, 2013. Samake was a candidate in the 2013 Malian presidential election.[39] In the first round of voting he placed 16th out of 27 candidates, receiving 0.56 per cent of the vote.[40]

Elections took place on July 29, 2018. Samake ran as a candidate in the 2018 presidential elections under his party Party for Civic and Patriotic Action.[41] He announced his candidacy on January 22, 2018 after leaving his post as the Ambassador of the Republic of Mali to India.

He lost in the first round of the elections. During the second round, he gave his support to the incumbent President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita won with 67.17% of the vote.[42]