Samira Bawumia (née Ramadan) (born 20 August 1980) is a

Ghanaian Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

politician and the Second Lady of the

Republic of Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

. She is married to the Vice President of

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

Mahamudu Bawumia Mahamudu Bawumia (born 7 October 1963) is a Ghanaian economist and former central banker who serves as the 5th Vice President of Ghana in the 4th Ghanaian Republic. He assumed office on 7 January 2017 as Vice President of Ghana. Bawumia was a ...

Education

Samira began her early education at the Answarudeen Islamic School at Fadama and Alsyd Academy in

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

, before continuing to the

Akosombo International School Akosombo International School (AIS) is a Ghanaian coeducational international second-cycle institution located at Akosombo in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region. It is operated by the Volta River Authority. History The school was est ...

(AIS) and then to

Mfantsiman Girls' Secondary School Mfantsiman Girls' Senior High School is an all girls second cycle institution in Saltpond in the Central Region of Ghana. The school was founded in 1960 by Kwame Nkrumah, originally under the name Saltpond Girls' Secondary School. The school is ...

at Saltpond in the Central Region of Ghana. Following her admission to

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) , mottoeng = The knot of wisdom is untied only by the wise , established = 1952;

, she studied BA. Social Science in Law and Sociology and Technology. At the

Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) is a public co-educational university spread over four campuses (Accra, Tema, Kumasi and Takoradi) and made up of six schools, ten research centers located at Greenhill in Accra ...

(GIMPA), where she had her postgraduate studies, she was awarded the Best Student in Master of Business Administration (MBA). She is a multi-lingua, fluent in Ewe, Ga,

Twi Twi () is a dialect of the Akan language spoken in southern and central Ghana by several million people, mainly of the Akan people, the largest of the seventeen major ethnic groups in Ghana. Twi has about 17-18 million speakers in total, includ ...

Fanti Fanti is an Italian surname. Notable people with this name include: *Bartolomeo Fanti (1428–1495), beatified Italian Carmelite priest *Fausto Fanti (1978–2014), Brazilian actor, comedian and musician *Franco Fanti (1924–2007), Italian Olympic ...

and Mamprusi

Recognition

Mrs. Bawumia was recently made an Ambassador for the

Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves The Clean Cooking Alliance, formerly the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, is a non-profit organization operating with the support of the United Nations Foundation to promote clean cooking technologies in lower and middle-income countries. A ...

and joins the late former

UN Secretary General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of the Un ...

Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder ...

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning actor

Julia Roberts Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles in films encompassing a variety of genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and thr ...

, and

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

-nominated Ghanaian musician

Rocky Dawuni Rocky Dawuni is a Ghanaian singer, songwriter and record producer who performs his signature 'Afro Roots' sound which is a mixture of Reggae, Afrobeat, Highlife and Soul music. He currently lives between Ghana and Los Angeles. Rocky is a two-time ...

to work with the Alliance and its partners to raise awareness of household air pollution and encourage broader adoption of

clean cooking One aspect of energy poverty is lack of access to clean, modern fuels and technologies for cooking. As of 2020, more than 2.6 billion people in developing countries routinely cook with fuels such as wood, animal dung, coal, or kerosene. Burning t ...

solutions in developing countries in a bid to create cleaner environments and eradicate deaths caused by pollution from the burning of solid fuels for cooking. In 2019, she was acknowledged as the first of seven individuals honored by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforAll) in conjunction with

Ashden Ashden is a London-based charity that works in the field of sustainable energy and development. Its work includes the annual Ashden Awards, advocacy and research in the field of sustainable energy, and mentoring and practical support for award wi ...

. This was in recognition for her efforts towards the United Nations'

Sustainable Development Goal The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...

(SDG) 7, which is to ensure access to modern reliable, renewable and affordable energy for all by 2030.

Humanitarian initiatives

Samira is the founder and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of the Samira Empowerment & Humanitarian Projects (SEHP), described as a not-for-profit organisation established with the purpose of empowering the underprivileged in Ghana through diverse social intervention projects to improve lives. In November 2019, she donated library books to

Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

Basic Schools in the country to inculcate the habit of reading in children. This was an initiative of her 'Library in the box' project which has the objective of making books available to schools. She also started the Samira Bawumia literature prize.The annual literacy prize for young Ghanaians between the ages of 15 and 25 is aimed at providing young creative and writers with an opportunity to share their art with the world. The first winners of the Samira Bawumia Literature Prize were crowned at the Fitzgerald in Accra on Monday, July 27, 2020.

Personal life

Samira is married to the Vice President of Ghana, Mahamadu Bawumia

Awards

In May 2022, Samira received the Ghanaian Women Association of Georgia Global Humanitarian Award for her interventions in maternal and child health, women empowerment and education in the

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. She also received an honor from the Atlanta City Council and also recognized by the Macon-Bibb County.

References

External links

"Learn From Those Who Are Doing Well" – Samira Bawumia
Living people Second ladies of Ghana 21st-century Ghanaian women politicians New Patriotic Party politicians Ghanaian Zongo people Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration alumni Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology alumni Mfantsiman Girls' Secondary School alumni 1980 births {{Ghana-politician-stub