Diouldé Niane, Founder and CEO of SONAM Group passes away

Diouldé Niane, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SONAM Group, passed away in Paris on 19 July 2026 at the age of 89.

An iconic figure in Senegal's insurance industry, D. Niane was among the first Africans to graduate from the Institut de Science Financière et d'Assurances (ISFA) in Lyon, alongside internationally acclaimed Ivorian writer Ahmadou Kourouma.

Upon completing his studies, he returned to Senegal and joined the Mutuelle d'Assurances Agricoles du Sénégal (MAAS), where he held a number of senior leadership positions.

In 1972, he founded SONAM, the first Senegalese insurance company to be fully owned by Senegalese capital, with no foreign shareholding.

Despite a challenging start, the company steadily established itself as a leading player in the domestic insurance market under his leadership. Through the diversification of its business activities and the introduction of innovative products, SONAM achieved sustained growth and strengthened its market position.