Amina J Mohammed – Biography Of The Deputy Secretary-General Of United Nations

Amina J Mohammed is a Nigerian-British diplomat and politician. In 2017, she was appointed the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, a position she holds to date.

See Also: Angelique Kidjo – Biography And Albums Of A Grammy Award-Winning Singer-Songwriter

Also, Amina served as the Nigerian Minister of Environment from November 2015 – December 2016, and the Special Adviser to three Nigerian President.

Generally, Amina is regarded as one of the greatest world leaders. As a result, she has received widespread recognition including the Global Citizen World Leader Prize in 2019.

See Also: Online Bullying – 10 Ways To Deal With Online Bullying As An Entrepreneur

Amina J Mohammed Background

Amina Jane Mohammed was born on June 27, 1961, as the eldest daughter. Her father was a Nigerian nomad and vet officer and her mother, a British nurse.

For her primary and secondary education, she attended schools in Kaduna, and Maiduguri in Nigeria. Then, she attended the Buchan School, Isle of Man, UK. After, she proceeded to the Henley Management College in 1989.

See Also: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – Biography Of The First Female Elected President In Africa

Amina J Mohammed Early Career

In the UK, Amina worked in retail, insurance, restaurant and was also working as an auxiliary nurse in an old people’s home. Then, at 22, she came back to Nigeria following her father’s order.

Firstly, in Nigeria, she worked with Archcon, an architectural and engineering firm. The firm designed and built hospitals and schools. Later on, she left to begin her own firm, Afri-Projects Consortium.

From 2002 until 2005, she coordinated the Task Force on Gender and Education for the United Nations Millennium Project. Then, she became the Senior Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo and other successive administrations on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). As an SA, she provided advice on issues relating to poverty, public sector reforms, reduction in maternal mortality and sustainable developments. She was charged with the coordination of Nigeria’s debt relief funds toward the achievement of the MDGs.

Other Appointments

In 2012, she served as the Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon on Post 2015 development planning. As an SA, she was instrumental in bringing about the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Also, she was a key player in the Post-2015 Development Agenda process. She was on the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons (HLP), working closely with the General Assembly’s Open Working Group (OWG), and other stakeholders. Then, in 2014, she served on the Independent Expert Advisory Group on the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development.

In 2015, she was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as the Nigeria’s Minister of Environment where she served until 2016. As the Minister, she steered the country’s climate action effort, protecting the environment and conserving resources for sustainable development.

In 2017, she was named the Deputy Secretary-General of UN by Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General. And till date, Amina has continued to function in that office.

Also, she is an Adjunct Professor of the Master’s Programme for Development Practice at Columbia University, New York.

See Also: Elsie Kanza – Biography Of A Powerful African Female Leader

Personal Life

Amina J. Mohammed is a mother of six and has grandchildren. Also, she is a devoted Muslim.

Other Memberships

Mohammed serves on the board of numerous international advisory panels and boards. Some of which are;

• Member of the Board of Directors, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data.
• Member of the Advisory Board, Action Aid, International Right to Education Project.
• Advisory Board Member, Global Development Program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
• Member of the Board, Hewlett Foundation of Education
• Member of the Board of Governors, International Development Research Centre.
• Advisory Board Member, Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (ISTIC).

See Also: Judy Dlamini – Biography Of A Phenomenal Business Woman, Founder, Mbekani Group

Awards and Recognition

As a global goal pioneer, Amina has gained widespread recognition. For instance, Fortune Magazine named her one of the World’s greatest leaders. Also, due to her promotion of UN activity on her page, she was regarded as a Social Media Champion.

Some other recognition are;

• Order of the Federal Republic, 2006
• Nigerian Women’s Hall of Fame, 2007
• Ford Family Notre Dame Award, Kellogg Institute for International Studies 2015
• Diplomat of the Year Awards, Foreign Policy Magazine, 2017
• Award of Honor, Nigerian Conservation Foundation, NCF, 2017
• 13 Female Climate Warrior on Frontline, Vogue Magazine
• Sarraounia Chieftaincy title of Niger in 2018
• BBC 100 Women, 2018
• 100 Most Influential People on Gender Policy, Apolitical, 2019
• Global Citizen Prize World Leader Award, 2019

See Also: Charlize Theron – Biography Of One Of Forbes Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women In 2020.

Amina J Mohammed Quotes

“We must design a future that is shaped by women and girls – that realizes their rights and aspirations to a world where equality is a reality.”

“…The commodity that we have to share with the world is hope.”

“…we need to think collectively about the responsibility of what we do to make sure there is a more equitable world, that everyone is included and that we really think about our footprint in our home.”

“I think education opened up huge vista and opportunities and networks and the courage to do with those skills what you can.”

“You need a different skillset that looks at taking advantage of opportunities that are much more of an entrepreneurial skill that you can add as you address many of the market opportunities.”

“…this whole Fourth Industrial Revolution is about a different kind of education and skillset that you need for the jobs that are going to be out there.”

“People matter. If people didn’t matter, we wouldn’t be where we are today. We need to put people first at the center of everything we do.”

“The hard way is the best way.”

“The only purpose of power is to serve with the courage of one’s conviction that all people in the world have rights that must be respected.”

See Also: Arunma Oteh: Biography And Career Journey Of An Academic Scholar

Lessons From The Life of Amina J Mohammed

Courage

Amina is a fearless woman who stand up to challenges. Even as a young girl, she disclosed how she raised money in the community to travel. According to her, after her father’s refusal to fund her study travel, she told everyone that she would walk from Kaduna to Zaria. In a bet to argue that she couldn’t walk the distance, Amina raised the sum of £4,000 to cover her expenses.

Amina has been using her education and exposure to make a global difference. Despite mitigating forces towards the attainment of the 2030 agenda for SDGs, she is more willing and committed to achieving the UN vision.

Dedication

Amina didn’t reach this height on a platter of gold, indeed, it was well deserved. Starting from her role as SA to the President on MDGs, together with her team, they reduced maternal mortality by over 30%.

Also, she increased access to water by 40%. Aside from this, Amina has proven countless times, that she is capable to deliver whatever is committed to her hands.

Today, she is regarded as one of the most powerful women in Africa by Forbes Magazine. Also, she sits at the table of world greatest leaders.

Courage and dedication can take you and your business to greater heights.

Let us help you put your business on the world map. You can do this today by reaching out now.

Photo Credit: To keep track of our activities, follow us on Instagram