H.E. Sheikh Al-Moustapha Kouyateh is a statesman, senior diplomat, entrepreneur, and Pan-African leader whose career reflects moral courage and service to the structural transformation of Liberia and the continent. A devoted family man, philanthropist, youth mentor, and civil society voice, he champions good governance, social justice, sustainable peace, and inclusive development. His Pan-African vision emphasizes a single African currency to deepen economic sovereignty and regional integration; African ownership of natural resources through local processing and manufacturing; industrialization and value addition with decent jobs; and balanced partnerships—advocating that African states retain a meaningful share (including his highlighted benchmark of at least 30 percent) of revenues from resource exploitation. In 2002 he founded Youth Against Drugs and Arms (YADA) to deter child soldiers and former combatants from drugs and violence while advancing education, vocational training, civic engagement, and post-conflict reintegration. A founding member of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) in 2004, he supported its presidential bids in 2005 and 2011; in 2013 he suspended his membership in protest against concession agreements he viewed as undermining Liberia's sovereignty and dignity.
