Having spent 21 years working on high-level United Nations (UN) programmes in Italy, the Republic of Djibouti, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Niger, Madagascar and Nigeria, Fatma Samoura is well known for her commitment to furthering humanitarian causes. It was this commitment and tenacity that led to her being chosen as FIFA’s Secretary-General in May 2016.
As the first Muslim African woman to hold the position of FIFA Secretary General, Samoura is a trailblazer for diversity and gender equality. Since her appointment at FIFA the number of women employed by the organisation has increased across the board including in senior management roles. She also played an integral part in the success of the record-breaking FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 and the highly successful eighth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019. In addition to her role as FIFA Secretary-General, she was appointed by FIFA and CAF as the FIFA General Delegate for Africa for six months (1 August 2019 to 31 January 2020), to help accelerate the implementation of CAF’s reform process which focused on good governance, organisation of competitions and the growth and development of African football. Fatma Samoura is committed to using the unique power of football to support, encourage and empower young people around the world.