By Ann Acka’a RN, BSN,CM/DM, LNC
Director/Contributing Editor, Diplomatic Watch LLC
Women Know Your Worth! was a thought provoking message delivered by The 5th Deputy Secretary- General of the United Nations (UN), Her Excellency Amina Jane Mohammed on a video that went viral. She stressed the need to recognize women for who they are and what they are worth.
Amina Mohammed had an interesting career occupying key leadership positions and made very positive impact. This earned the appointment of a Federal Minister of Environment in the President Muhammadu’s Buhari’s administration in 2015; a role she occupied for a little above a year. During this time she also served as the Nigeria’s representative in the African Union (AU) Reform Steering Committee, Chaired by President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame. The Nigerian born Career Diplomat assumed office February, 2017.
She expressed vehemently that women are often “under estimated” and inferred that there are known biases and perceived perceptions or misconceptions towards women either from how they appear or based on their educational level or the lack of assumed “under education” that speaks of creating the sense that they are “unqualified” or “unfit” for the duty of the office or position they are capable of championing.
As head of leadership in her role as Deputy- Secretary General of the UN, she has been an advocate for Education, the fight against Climate Change and Sustainable Development. She encourages women to know their worth and recognize who they are. She does so by working on reforming the UN, where gender parity has been achieved in senior leadership roles while working on the UN Goals in “Creating equality throughout the world” by 2030.
She made a powerful thought provocating statement by saying to women that “You have no excuse not to be bigger and better than any man on the block. It’s about what you put on the table, it’s about the conviction and courage that you have to stand up and be counted”.
Amina Mohammed, added “we all need to join forces in advancing the rights of the youth and women in innovation technology space to meet the targets of the United Nations sustainable Development Goals 2030. We want to join our voice with the UN women to call transformative shifts, integrated approaches and innovative solutions to over the structural barriers to sustainable development”. Again, she speaks of the value of women and in women recognizing that they have power to choose to become change agents and are capable of such changes! Women have the capacity to muster the courage to stand up and be counted!
She stated further “ For the heart and engine of every nation is in its young people and its women; they are the incredible forces behind any thriving country’s growing economy. We also believe that the educational training and development of women and the youth population as a form of empowerment will fuel the local economy of any nation. Technology and innovation are changing rapidly and the disruptive ideas have provided the necessary quest for lifelong learning while maintaining the need to keep up with the high-skilled job is to continously learn in a fast and changing economic climate”.
This speech speaks to the need for women and youths to embrace the swift transformative shift of the modern age, with the need for self improvement through education that foster self confidence, self empowement and self value as they are indeed “The incredible forces behind any thriving country’s growing economy”
She was born 57 years ago in Gombe State, North- Eastern Nigeria to a father who was a Veterinarian-herdsman and mother who was a British Nurse. She is the eldest of her siblings (Five daughters).
