Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Steven Koutsis presented Ibrahima Kalil Gueye the Anticorruption Champion award today at U.S. Embassy Conakry. Around the world, corruption threatens security and stability, hinders economic growth, undermines democracy and human rights, destroys trust in public institutions, facilitates transnational crime, and siphons away public and private resources. The Biden Administration recognizes that we will only be successful in combating these issues by working in concert with committed partners, including courageous individuals, like Kalil, who champion anticorruption efforts.
Anti-corruption activist Kalil was awarded the State Department’s Inaugural International Anticorruption Champions Award for demonstrating outstanding commitment to preventing, exposing, and combating corruption in Guinea. After receiving the Mandela Washington Fellowship in 2018, Kalil returned to Guinea with a passion to use his leadership skills to inspire others to fight rampant corruption. He continues to contribute to Guinea’s development through his NGO “Organization for Positive Change” and through the “National Governance Marathon,” a U.S.-funded initiative. Under his National Governance Marathon initiative Kalil traveled over 5,500 kilometers in Guinea to promote awareness about corruption and the measures citizens can take to combat corruption. Kalil is the winner of the 2020 Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership Impact Award, a United Nations Young Peacebuilder in West Africa (UNAOC), and a European Commission One Young World Ambassador Scholar
On behalf of Secretary Blinken, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Koutsis recognized Kalil for working tirelessly, often in the face of adversity, to defend transparency and ensure accountability in Guinea. He encouraged him to continue with his efforts as “eliminating corruption will strengthen institutions, promote transparency, and create opportunities for the Guinean people.” Chargé d’Affaires Koutsis was accompanied by Political Counselor Bisola Ojikutu and Public Affairs Officer Gaïna Dávila.