I Shamima Muslim was initially shocked, then thrilled, then quite anxious when I got the call to speak here today. Why me? I asked myself. Yet, I later questioned, “Why not me?”
I am a Muslim lady who wears a veil. I am from the Upper West, one of Ghana’s smallest areas, and I belong to the Wala ethnic group, which is one of the smallest in the nation. I am a minority inside a minority within a minority in many ways. I am frequently the exception and seldom the norm in many places I’ve been.
But I’ve never let that stop me. I’ve always wanted to be higher up the ladder, no matter how far down it appears I am now. One of the first members of my immediate family to graduate from college, I was also one of the first—if not the first—women from my neighborhood to have a primetime voice on radio and television. Many young women around the nation, particularly Muslim females, were motivated to pursue careers in media and journalism thanks to my visibility and influence.
As a founding member of the Alliance for Women in Media Africa, which was motivated by a comparable group in the US, I have worked on numerous development projects to empower underprivileged and underrepresented communities. Our youthful, energetic group of media women is striving to improve the status of women in the media and ensuring that African women’s and girls’ voices, experiences, and images are fairly portrayed.
These instances are provided to show how far I have gone and how far back I am coming from, not to wallow in whatever little triumphs I may have had. Despite the fact that I only took a few steps to get to this platform today, my journey, along with the journeys of many others, involves countless steps back across.
But let me at least highlight my maternal grandma Alima, an enterprising, kind woman who put her daughter in school despite the fact that she had no formal education. Let me tell you about my mother, Hajia Rahmat, who had to sell food before she could attend to school after performing countless household tasks. She frequently arrived late, but she persisted.
My mother claims that she used to frequently walk barefoot to school in the scorching sun, which caused the ground to heat up and cause foot burns. She would seek out a spot of grass when it got too hot for a brief break. Yet she persisted. She advanced all the way to the training college, became a teacher, and eventually the headmistress, becoming the first woman in her immediate family to complete a higher education. And, dare I say it, she might have been able to go even higher, but she eventually gave up her goals in order to stay at home with her kids.
Because my mother walked for her aspirations, I may now run for mine, and my two daughters will fly for their dreams the day after tomorrow. That is how advancement is made: one generation at a time, one inch at a time. Our class ceilings will be entirely broken if we keep working at it. Mothers’ greatest wishes for their daughters are their daughters, who are the realization of their mothers’ dreams.
Nevertheless, this is also a story about Ghana and about Africa, not simply about mothers and daughters and the transformative potential of education. As a continent with a low ranking on many development indices, we face a challenging climb as we work to improve women’s representation, healthcare, education, infrastructure, and employment, among other things. There are many reasons to be discouraged along the road. Young Africans may believe that their economic future lies beyond the Mediterranean, beyond the Sahara. But no matter how scorching it becomes beneath our feet, the answer lies within, not across. We must just keep moving forward. We must continue working hard. Likewise, as generations pass.
We must accept our variety if we are to create the Africa we desire. Early on, I was taught valuable lessons about the importance of community and inclusivity. One of the first young men to leave his hometown in the North and establish a base in the capital in the south was my darling father, Mr. Ismail Muslim. He became prosperous early, made this place his home, and welcomed the locals. Together with my brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles, and other immediate and distant relatives, I also grew up. For an entire generation, our house served as a portal. Early on, I was taught the importance of diversity, service, and inclusiveness. My father taught me that you can only succeed by helping others. That is a fact.
More than any other continent, Africa must sustain the concept of inclusiveness since it is the most diverse. We are so divided among nations, ethnic groups, genders, classes, and other groups that unless we sincerely cooperate for the good of all, we cannot advance both ourselves and our continent. The numerous people who leave the bottom instead of the few who reach the top are how we measure our progress in raising ourselves up.
We understand that in order to advance in Africa, we must create fruitful alliances. I had the uncommon honor of being a member of President Obama’s YALI program’s first cohort in 2010. I was fortunate enough to catch his attention in the White House and ask him a question. I questioned if a superpower like America and a developing nation like Ghana could truly work together. Obama thought that a collaboration like this was conceivable since our interests are so similar.
I’ve thought about it more throughout the years and honed my query even further. Without its natural resources, will America or the developed world still be interested in Africa?
As important as it is for our partners to think about this, it is even more crucial for us in Africa to have a response. What new value can we harness the dynamism and ideas of our young people to generate to help our people and the world, and how else can we leverage the advantages of our natural resources? We need to start thinking about and working for An Africa Beyond Natural Resources.
It is encouraging to see how many young Africans are already making a difference in several fields, including the creative and technology industries. growing prospects and resolving significant issues in their economies as a result.
Examples abound, including Mahmoud Jajah of Zongo Innovation Hub who teaches young people in primarily underserved Muslim communities how to become software developers and tech entrepreneurs. Other examples include Miishe Addy, co-founder of startup logistics powerhouse Jetstream, Maya Famodou of Black Girls Glow who focuses on creating safe spaces for creatives to grow, and Ama Asantewaa of Black Girls Glow. Young people in Africa are working hard.
It is crucial to recognize the support they have already received. For instance, to establish a revolutionary atmosphere for digital entrepreneurship, the US government is investing USD 350 million in the Digital Transformation with Africa program. About 400,000 women in Northern Ghana are being empowered by the USAID Sustainable Shea Initiative for economic and social impact through the shea sector in my region of the country. We eagerly anticipate the long-lasting effects of such programs.
We urge African nations to make a commitment to enacting affirmative action laws in order to assist close the diversity and gender gap. And to approach the need to create significant opportunities for Africa’s rapidly expanding youth population with the utmost urgency.
I had the honor of meeting Michelle Obama in 2011 in South Africa at a conference for young African women leaders. She discussed the necessity for women to take charge of the spaces they occupy. Owning the spaces I occupy has been the theme of my life’s journey. And when those areas are lacking, to make them. I’m urging all African women and young people to take charge of their own spaces today because, after all, why not you?
I consider it an honor to be on the same platform as a remarkable lady today who is not just taking ownership of her area but also rocking it. The United States’ highest-ranking female official, who has achieved a number of “firsts” and shattered many glass ceilings along the way. We are pleased to welcome Vice President Kamala Harris to Ghana, the Black Star Rising, the Center of the World. Maya Angelou, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. were present. Obama, Bush, and Clinton were all present. Her turn is now up. We can all sincerely say, “Abena Kamala, you made it,” I think.
Many thanks
