Celebrating Amina J Mohammed:
Africa’s Leading Light at United Nations
Hajia Amina Jane Mohammed is the current Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. Today, she’s the highest ranked African woman in the global body. She hitherto briefly served for two years in the first cabinet of the Buhari administration as Minister of Environment.
Her strong pursuits are education, gender development and poverty alleviation. She was credited for establishing the Virtual Poverty Fund to enable disadvantaged people access critical opportunities for social development. This was during her tenure as Head of the National Task Force on Gender and Education. She devised unique solutions to source funds across different sectors to actualise her mandate.
Hajia Amina Mohammed was born in Liverpool, England to a Nigerian father and British mother.
She had her primary education in Kaduna, Nigeria. She had her secondary education in England. She later attended Henley Business school in United Kingdom.
She returned home to work in Archcon, an architectural firm affiliated with a British development organisation.
She established Afri-Projects Consortium to promote social inclusion for women and children initially in the Northern Region. She was credited for the empowerment of disadvantaged women and children in that part of the country.
Her successful engagements attracted the attention of erstwhile Secretary General Ban Ki Moon who engaged her as Special Adviser on SDGs.
Hajia Amina Mohammed headed the National Task Force on Gender and Education to increase the access of women to development projects.
She founded the Centre for Development Policy Solutions and was affiliated with Columbia University as Adjunct Professor for Master’s students.
She sits on several international development organisations such as UNESCO, Bill Gates Foundation, Eminent Persons Group amongst others.
She was formally appointed as Deputy Secretary-General of United Nations in 2017 giving her a vantage position to actualise her passion for sound development for womenfolk worldwide.
She’s the Chairperson of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group.
Hajia Amina Mohammed is soft spoken but tenacious and committed to advancing sustainable development goals.
This development mindset has been the hallmark of this world class public servant sired in unusual circumstances but chosen by providence as a voice for the hopeless and defenceless.
Hajia Amina Mohammed is an icon worth celebrating on the world stage as well as in her African milieu. She favours African garbs in her professional appearances with her trademark turbans and wrappers depicting elegance and panache.
She has come a long way from her conservative and puritan background to emerge as a loud voice for women and children. We salute her as a leading light of African women on the world stage.
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By Mubo Okosun
Women’s Editor
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