Tiéna Coulibaly (born 1952) is a Malian politician who has served as Minister of Defense in the government of

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...

from 2017 to 2020. Previously he was

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

from 1988 to 1991, and again from 2012 to 2013. Coulibaly was ousted during the

2020 Malian coup d'état On 18 August 2020, elements of the Malian Armed Forces began a mutiny. Soldiers on pick-up trucks stormed the Soundiata military base in the town of Kati, where gunfire was exchanged before weapons were distributed from the armory and senior of ...

and replaced by Colonel

Sadio Camara Colonel Sadio Camara (born 1979) is a Malian military officer currently serving as Minister of Defence, who took active part in the 2020 Malian coup d'état along with Colonel Assimi Goïta that ousted the government of Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta. ...

Early life and education

Coulibaly was born in

Boré, Mali Boré is a village and seat of the rural commune of Dangol Boré in the Cercle of Douentza in the Mopti Region of southern-central Mali. The village is on the main highway, the RN15, that links Mopti and Douentza. Manding Manding may refer to: ...

. He attended primary education from 1959 to 1964 in his native village before pursuing secondary education in Prosper Kamara High School in

Bamako Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on t ...

and graduated in 1971. He studied at Université Laval in Québec, where he earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics in 1977. Later, he went to graduate school at

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

, receiving an M.S. in agricultural economics in 1978.

Career

Between 1981 and 1987, he was technical adviser to the Ministry of Livestock. From 1987 to 1988, he served as Deputy Director-General of the Libyan-Malian Livestock Development Corporation. In 1988, he was appointed Minister of Finance and Trade under President

Moussa Traoré Moussa Traoré (25 September 1936 – 15 September 2020) was a Malian soldier, politician, and dictator who was President of Mali from 1968 to 1991. As a Lieutenant, he led the military ousting of President Modibo Keïta in 1968. Thereafter he ...

. Coulibaly was arrested following the ouster of Moussa Traoré in the March Revolution of 1991, but acquitted after the "Crimes of blood" trial in 1993. He was appointed technical advisor to the Cotton Sector Restructuring Mission (FRSC). In November 2008, he became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Malian Textile Development Company (CMDT), a position he held until he was appointed to the government. He was appointed Minister of the Economy, Finances and Budget on 24 April 2012, serving in that post until 22 June 2013, when he was instead appointed Minister of Trade and Industry. On 13 November 2014 he was appointed

Ambassador to the United States The following table lists ambassadors to the United States, sorted by the representative country or organization. See also *Ambassadors of the United States Notes {{reflist, 30em External linksCurrent and former Ambassadors to the United Sta ...

, where he was accredited on 18 November 2014. On 11 April 2017, President Keita named Coulibaly as Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs in a cabinet reshuffle.

Personal life

He is married and has four children.

References

1952 births Living people Ambassadors of Mali to the United States Defense ministers of Mali Economy ministers Finance ministers of Mali People from Mopti Region Université Laval alumni 21st-century Malian people {{Mali-politician-stub