Clean Cooking Forum 2022

H.E. Hajia Samira Bawumia

H.E Mrs. Samira Bawumia is the Second Lady of the Republic of Ghana, a philanthropist, humanitarian, climate, and clean energy champion, as well as a gender advocate. She is the founder of the not-for-profit organisation, the Samira Empowerment and Humanitarian Projects (SEHP). Through SEHP, she has initiated critical and timely interventions in areas of health, education, and women empowerment.

She is a Global Ambassador for the Clean Cooking Alliance, as well as the Global Champion for the Health and Energy Platform for Action of the World Health Organisation, and a member of the Women in Leadership Network, a network Chaired by the Former President of Ireland, H.E Mary Robinson, focused on advancing women’s leadership globally.

She is a recipient of the Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) Seven for 7 Award; an award which celebrates global leadership on Sustainable Development Goal 7; to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.

H.E Mrs. Bawumia was named a ‘2018 African Woman of Excellence’ by the African Union Commission in partnership with the Diaspora African Forum. She has represented Ghana and the African continent at various international conferences and fora on tackling human trafficking, reproductive health, clean energy transitions and renewable energy, air pollution and health, clean cooking solutions, women’s health, women’s empowerment, as well as women and children’s rights.

The Second Lady is also spearheading a Coalition of People against Sexual and Gender-based Violence and Harmful Practices (CoPASH), with support from the United Nations Population Fund. She is an advocate for the “Combined Maternal and Child Health Record Book Project” – a Ghana Health Service initiative, an advocate for the “Ghanaians against Child Abuse’ (GACA) Campaign, a Government of Ghana, and UNICEF project. She is also supporting the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on “Nurturing Care Framework for Early Childhood Development,”.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Law and Sociology from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Project Management from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).