{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}} {{Short description|Guinean model and mining entrepreneur}} {{Infobox person | name = Tigui Camara | image = Ms. Tiguidanke Camara, Chairman & CEO Tigui Mining Group (TMG).jpg | birth_place = Conakry, Guinea | occupation = Mining entrepreneur, model | employer = Tigui Mining Group | website = [https://www.tiguimininggroup.com/ www.tiguimininggroup.com] }}
'''Tigui Camara''', also '''Tiguidanké Camara''', is a Guinean model and mining entrepreneur, who is chief executive officer of Tigui Mining Group and a member of the association International Women in Mining.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-11-03 |title=Model turns miner and strikes gold |url=https://www.blackenterprise.com/magazine-tigui-mining-group-former-model-turns-miner-strikes-gold/ |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=Black Enterprise |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-12-02 |title=Vinci Hair Clinic Ghana wins Outstanding Hair Clinic of the Year |url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/12/vinci-hair-clinic-ghana-wins-outstanding-hair-clinic-of-the-year/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=2022-04-02 |newspaper=Vanguard|language=en-US}}</ref> She is one of the youngest mining entrepreneurs in Africa, and the only woman in Guinea to own a mining company. In 2017, Jeune Afrique listed her as one of Africa's 50 Most Influential Businesswomen, and in 2021, Avance Media listed her as one if its Top 100 Most Influential Women in Africa.
== Early life, education and modelling career == Camara was born in Conakry, where her father was a politician and her mother was a businesswoman.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=July 6, 2018|title=Aujourd'hui l'économie, le portrait – Tiguidanke Camara, un mannequin sur les sites miniers|url=https://www.rfi.fr/fr/emission/20180706-tiguidanke-camara-fondatrice-tigui-mining-group|access-date=January 25, 2022|website=RFI|language=fr}}</ref> She started modeling when she was 12 years old.<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 4, 2016|title=Meet the Boss: Tiguidanke Camara, founder, Tigui Mining Group (Guinea)|url=https://www.howwemadeitinafrica.com/meet-boss-tiguidanke-camara-founder-tigui-mining-group-guinea/53645/|access-date=January 25, 2022|website=How we made it in Africa|language=en-US}}</ref> Camara moved to Morocco in 1996 to study for a BA in Business Management.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tiguidanke Camara|url=https://internationalwim.org/interviews/tiguidanke-camara/|access-date=January 25, 2022|website=International Women in Mining (IWiM)|language=en-GB}}</ref> After graduation, Camara moved to the United States, where she continued her modelling career, which lasted until the birth of her twin children in the 2000s.<ref name=":0" />
== Mining career == In 2008, she bought a 28% share in a mining company, and formally began her career in the industry. She established the Camara Diamond Trading Network in 2009, and a holding company Tigui Mining Group (TMG) in 2012.<ref name=":0" /> Her companies focus on mining interests in West Africa, in particular in Guinea and Ivory Coast.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Interview avec Tiguidanke Camara, la seule femme propriétaire d'une compagnie minière en Afrique francophone|url=https://afrique.latribune.fr/think-tank/entretiens/2018-07-06/interview-avec-tiguidanke-camara-la-seule-femme-proprietaire-d-une-compagnie-miniere-en-afrique-francophone-784173.html|access-date=January 25, 2022|website=La Tribune|language=fr}}</ref> The company specialises in gold and diamond extraction, and has licenses to work on diamond extraction in Kérouané and Macenta.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Interview avec Tiguidanke Camara, la seule femme propriétaire d'une compagnie minière en Afrique francophone|url=https://afrique.latribune.fr/think-tank/entretiens/2018-07-06/interview-avec-tiguidanke-camara-la-seule-femme-proprietaire-d-une-compagnie-miniere-en-afrique-francophone-784173.html|access-date=January 25, 2022|website=La Tribune|language=fr}}</ref> In 2017 she established the TMG Foundation to manage and administer social enterprises and cooperative established as part of their investments.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=Admin|title=TIGUI CAMARA: Leading In The Male Dominated Mining Industry|url=https://www.africanleadershipmagazine.co.uk/tigui-camara-leading-in-the-male-dominated-mining-industry/|access-date=January 25, 2022|website=African Leadership Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref> As of 2018, future plans included investment in bauxite and iron extraction.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Interview avec Tiguidanke Camara, la seule femme propriétaire d'une compagnie minière en Afrique francophone|url=https://afrique.latribune.fr/think-tank/entretiens/2018-07-06/interview-avec-tiguidanke-camara-la-seule-femme-proprietaire-d-une-compagnie-miniere-en-afrique-francophone-784173.html|access-date=January 25, 2022|website=La Tribune|language=fr}}</ref>
In a 2018 interview, she discussed how: "... in the USA ..Many jewelry businesses hired me as a model and representative. Which prompted me to inquire about the jewelry's origins, techniques, and the influence that mining can have on local populations.. The answers I got pushed me to get involved in this sector."<ref name=":1" />
Through her companies, Camara also invests in sustainable housing and agricultural development.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|title=Portraits d'Africaines du Top 100 des femmes les plus influentes d'Avance Media|url=https://www.voaafrique.com/a/portraits-d-africaines-du-top-100-des-femmes-les-plus-influentes-d-avance-media/6223190.html|access-date=January 25, 2022|website=VOA|language=fr}}</ref> She belongs to International Women in Mining, a global advocacy group for women working in the mining industry.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Tiguidanke Camara, Chairman & CEO Tigui Mining Group (TMG) – Center for Economic & Leadership Development|url=https://celdng.org/tiguidanke-camara-chairman-ceo-tigui-mining-group-tmg/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104021443/http://celdng.org/tiguidanke-camara-chairman-ceo-tigui-mining-group-tmg/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=November 4, 2018|access-date=January 25, 2022|language=en-US}}</ref> She also founded Women in Mining Guinea in 2013.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=Admin|title=TIGUI CAMARA: Leading In The Male Dominated Mining Industry|url=https://www.africanleadershipmagazine.co.uk/tigui-camara-leading-in-the-male-dominated-mining-industry/|access-date=January 25, 2022|website=African Leadership Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref> She has spoken on her career at the Africa Mining Summit and at the New York City Forum for Africa.<ref name=":2" />
== Recognition == In 2017, Jeune Afrique listed her as one of Africa's 50 Most Influential Businesswomen.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Le classement Jeune Afrique des 50 femmes d'affaires les plus influentes du continent – Jeune Afrique|url=https://www.jeuneafrique.com/mag/409264/economie/classement-jeune-afrique-50-femmes-daffaires-plus-influentes-continent/|access-date=January 25, 2022|website=JeuneAfrique.com|language=fr-FR}}</ref> In 2021, Avance Media listed her as one of its Top 100 Most Influential Women in Africa.<ref name=":4" /> She was the only woman in Guinea who owned a mining company as of 2018, and she is one of Africa's youngest mining entrepreneurs.<ref name=":3" />
== References == <references />
== External links ==
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36YC18UrB9c Interview with Tiguidanke Camara Chairman & CEO Tigui Mining Group.] * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUBw_yZN6HU Tiguidanke Camara, du podium aux mines d'or et de diamants] {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Camara, Tigui}} Category:Guinean women Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Businesspeople in mining Category:African-American female models Category:People from Conakry Category:21st-century businesswomen Category:Women in mining