Thione Niang: A Man of Exception
Born within a family of 28 children in Senegal, Thione Niang is one of the most influential young speakers of his generation. More than just another immigrant from Africa, he successfully became a ‘’political strategist, social entrepreneur, author, community leader, international motivational speaker, youth advocate and consultant’’, as it can be read on his personal website. To become the successful individual that he is today, Mr. Niang came to the USA with nothing more than a bill of 20$ and a limited English. Working as a busboy to send some money home and pay his daily bills, he decided to save enough money to earn his collegial diploma.
Eager to educate himself, and to give back to the country that gave him so much, he decided to enroll himself in the University of Ohio; a place where his interest for politics just grew more and more. The result? Thione Niang becomes Chair of the International Affairs Committee for the Young Democrats of America, National President of the Young Democrats of America College Caucus and President of the Young Democrats of Cuyahoga County.
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His devotion for politics is paid off, when the Campaign Team of Obama decides to use Niang’s knowledge to support the Democratic Candidate as part of the community organizer in the 2008 Presidential elections and to be the National Co-Chair of Gen44 during the 2012 re-election Campaign. It’s also for this reason that in October 2015 he is named Ambassador of the US ministry of energy in order to represent the minorities, by President Obama and the energy secretary.
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“When I was in class of 4e, my teacher speaked about Koffi Annan and it made me dream.”
- Thione Niang
After earning so much experience, Thione Niang decided to be a part of three different but similar projects: TNG (ThioneNiang Group), GIVEIPROJECT and Akon Lighting Africa and Solektra International.
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TNG
Ever since 2006, Mr. Niang is working in close collaboration with professionals of different areas, like sociology, journalism, public relations, and others, to be able to make the communication between global organizations and government, easier.
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GIVE 1 PROJECT
Presently established in a number of 34 different countries including Senegal, Ghana, France and so many more, this organization created in 2009 has for goal to advocate global leadership and entrepreneurship.
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AKON LIGHTING AFRICA
It’s with the help of the famous artist Akon and a Malian Businessman known by the name of Samba Bathily that Thione Niang co-founded this program in 2014. Theses three individuals had a simple goal: use sustainable solar energy to supply electricity to 600 million African households. Currently, around 5000 jobs jobs have been created by this initiative, and this, all around the continent.
Learn more about this world-renowned social entrepreneur at the Thione Niang: Impact Investing In Africa Conference held by the African Students’ Association of Concordia on November 10th 2018 in collaboration with CEED Concordia, ACSION Concordia and Hawa Keita. A limited number of signed copies of his book Social Entrepreneurship: 15 Keys to Success could be purchased after the conference.