A facilitator, negotiator, high-level strategist, governance expert, and accomplished lobbyist, Ambassador Naby Laye Sylla is making a significant mark in New York at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly—a major international diplomatic gathering focused on issues of critical importance to the world, and particularly to Africa. He is engaging in a series of highly strategic meetings with figures from the worlds of business, politics, and international relations, with the primary goal of establishing mechanisms and pathways for the continent’s development.
He is a man of action—discreet, yet possessing undeniable competence and effectiveness. His participation in major summits, both within Africa and on the international stage, reflects this master strategist’s commitment to showcasing Africa’s assets, wealth, and talent, while also encouraging the rest of the world to invest in a continent that offers immense opportunities.
Since arriving in New York, this man—well-versed in navigating networks and diplomatic corridors—has had a whirlwind schedule. Indeed, since the opening of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly—a major event in international diplomacy held in the heart of New York—Ambassador Naby Laye Sylla has held discussions with the UN Secretary-General as well as several prominent figures: Massad Boulos, Senior Advisor on Africa to U.S. President Donald Trump; Teodorin Nguema Obiang Mangue, Vice President of Equatorial Guinea; H.E. Mr. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, Secretary-General of the OIC; and President Emmanuel Macron. It has been an extraordinary immersion into the heart of the United Nations, marked by meetings, dialogue, and key international issues.
In New York, Ambassador Naby Laye Sylla had the privilege of participating in the proceedings and numerous meetings surrounding the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly—a major international diplomatic gathering dedicated to issues of global importance, particularly for Africa. He was delighted to have the opportunity to meet and exchange views with several prominent figures, including: the President of Madagascar, Colonel Michaël Randrianirina; Mays Mouissi, Gabonese Minister of Housing, Urban Planning, and Land Registry; Dr. Musalia Mudavadi, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of Kenya; Frank Garcia of the U.S. State Department (African Affairs); Constant-Serge Bounda, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francophonie, and Congolese Abroad of the Republic of the Congo; General Birame Diop, President of the ECOWAS Commission; and General Vincent Giraud, Chief of the Personal Military Staff to the President of the French Republic, among others.
Beyond the exchange of formalities, these meetings offer valuable opportunities for dialogue, the sharing of experiences, and reflection on the major challenges facing the continent and the world.
Ambassador Naby Laye Sylla thus plays a very active role in the United Nations General Assembly, always with the same determination and the same ambition: to make Africa’s voice heard on the global stage.
He has arrived in New York following his significant role as a facilitator at the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) forum in Luanda—a major event bringing together decision-makers, investors, and key players from the African energy sector. It was a great pleasure for him to reconnect with his friend and brother, Téte António, Angola’s Minister of External Relations. Their discussions were profound, candid, and particularly fruitful.
This intense level of activity places Ambassador Naby Laye Sylla within the select circle of true strategic players driving development across the African continent.
Ericien Pascal, in Yaoundé
