Souleymane comes from a family of craftsmen, although his parents decided that he would follow a different path, enrolling him first in Koranic school and then in public school, from which he graduated in 1981 after primary and secondary education.

Faced with unemployment, Souleymane joined his father’s workshop, where he learned the rudiments of blacksmithing and the specificities of craftsmen and their resistance to change. Later, he worked as a liaison between the International Labor Organization and Mali’s craftsmen, while also serving as an official and honorary representative of the Malian government.

It was from this position that the vision he gives substance to today was born. In 1991, with his personal savings, he founded the Fédération Malienne des Artisans, a group of 35 artisans’ associations from all regions of Mali, whose objectives are to educate artisans about their rights and support them in the development of their initiatives.

Through AJA (Association Jeunesse Actions), Souleymane aims to create what he calls the new generation of artisans in Mali. He helps artisans, graduates, the unemployed and street youth to create and produce consumer goods (incinerators, washing machines, sculptures, etc.) that meet market requirements.