Dear Senior Leadership Council,

We are pleased to announce the promotion of Sanwé Josué Diarra to the role of vice president, Francophone Geography, Africa West Division, beginning May 1, 2026. Josué will be stepping into the role previously held by Aissata Deborah Samaké who shares, “Josué’s journey within Young Life is a remarkable testament to his faithfulness and professional growth. As a Christ-centered leader and one of the i100 participants, I believe he is well set up for success.”

Josué was born into a Christian family, but as he says, “One is not born a Christian; one becomes one.” Since that decision as an adult, he has grown in his faith, serving the Lord through the choir, the church youth ministry, and in various leadership roles within his local church. He discovered Young Life ministry through a friend and began as a volunteer leader working alongside Pastor Tiowa, helping to lead club activities. Josué became the logistics coordinator for Mali four years later. Over the years, he has helped as a volunteer logistics coordinator for Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Burkina Faso. After nine years in that role, he was called to serve as regional director; and now, Josué will serve as a vice president for Francophone West Africa. He is married to Rebeka Kamate, and they are blessed with three daughters, Esther, Grâce, and Gloria.

We celebrate and welcome Josué into this new chapter, and we trust that the Lord has prepared him for this task of leading within the Africa West Division to ensure that more teenagers are known by name!

In Christ,