Page 51 - Forbes - Africa (March 2020)
P. 51
FORBES AFRICA
COVER STORY • POWER WOMEN
AMINA J. MOHAMMED,
NIGERIA
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL, UNITED NATIONS
DAILY MANTRA: “It always seems impossible until
it’s done.” (Quote by Nelson Mandela)
Amina J. Mohammed is a leader amongst leaders.
Before she was appointed as the United Nations
(UN) Deputy Secretary-General, Mohammed was
a special advisor to former Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon in 2015. She is one of the minds behind
the drafting and development of the 2030 Sustain-
able Development Goals, which is widely accepted
and promoted by leaders around the world.
Why is it crucial to have more women in leader-
ship positions?
The full and meaningful participation of women
will make economies more dynamic; peace agree-
ments more durable; governance more inclusive
and societies more resilient. When women enter
spaces once dominated by men, it changes those
spaces: bringing in new perspectives, correcting
blind spots, and ultimately improving decision-
making.
How would you describe a powerful woman in
2020?
HAJER SHARIEF, LIBYA There’s nothing more credible than your own
story. [We need to] hold onto this identity and uti-
HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE lize it [because] once [we] do, [we] celebrate [our]
DAILY MANTRA: “Do not have plan B, do everything to make womanhood and [our] feminism.
plan A work.”
ince 2011, youth peace activist and law graduate, What advice do you have for young women?
Hajer Sharief, has been actively fighting to end For the girls and young women I meet, I always
the civil war devastating her home country, Libya. say, ‘make the most of your education, make it a
SSharief established 'Together We Build It' to mobi- good one’. Once you have your story and your edu-
lize local communities into peacebuilding. In 2017, Sharief cation, no one can take that power away from you.
won the Student Peace Prize and last year, was nominated
for the Nobel Peace Prize. She spoke to FORBES AFRICA:
Who and what inspires your efforts every day?
Watching my mother earning an LLM in human rights
while going through chemotherapy treatment for breast
cancer is the most inspiring thing I have ever witnessed.
[And] waking up in the morning and watching one of Be-
yoncé's music videos is my morning coffee. Her unapolo-
getic music is equivalent to a force of nature.
What is most fulfilling about what you do?
It's knowing that what I do is the right thing to do.
What does it mean to be a powerful woman?
It’s a woman who can walk away from a situation where
she is not given her worth; a woman who would not set-
tle for less and a woman who believes she can do and be
whatever she wants.
FORBESAFRICA.COM MARCH 2020 FORBES AFRICA | 47
