| Hon. Samia Nkrumah | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Jomoro constituency |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 7 January 2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Lee Ocran |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 23, 1960 Aburi, Ghana |
| Nationality | Ghanaian |
| Political party | Convention People's Party |
| Spouse(s) | Michele Melega |
| Relations | Kwame Nkrumah Fathia Nkrumah Gamal Nkrumah |
| Children | Kwame |
| Alma mater | School of Oriental and African Studies |
| Occupation | Politician and Journalist |
| Website | http://www.samiankrumah.org/ |
Samia Yaba Christina Nkrumah (born 23 June 1960)[1] is a Ghanaian politician and Chairwoman of the Convention People's Party. In the 2008 parliamentary election, she won the Jomoro constituency seat at her first attempt and recently became the first female to chair a major political party in the country. She is also a freelance journalist.
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She is the daughter of the first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah and his Egyptian wife Fathia Rizk. She was born at Aburi in the Eastern Region of Ghana in 1960.[2] She was forced to leave Ghana with her mother and brothers on the day of the 1966 coup.They were resettled in Egypt by the Egyptian government.[3] She returned with her family in 1975 at the invitation of General Acheampong's National Redemption Council government and attended the Achimota School. She however left the country again when her mother decided to return to Egypt in the early 1980s. She proceeded to London, later completing her studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London in the United Kingdom, where she obtained the degree of Bachelor Arabic Studies in 1991. She also completed a Master's degree at the same institution in 1993.[1]
Samia started work as a bank clerk with the London branch of the Bank of India in 1984. She then worked with the Al-Ahram as a journalist in various capacities starting from 1989.[1]
She is one of the founders of Africa Must Unite which aims to promote Kwame Nkrumah's vision and political culture.[4] As part of this philosophy, she decided to go into active politics in Ghana.[5] She contested the Jomoro constituency seat in the Western Region of Ghana and beat the incumbent MP, Lee Ocran of the National Democratic Congress with a majority of 6,571, winning about 50% of the total valid votes cast.[6]She was elected as the first woman chairperson of the Convention People's Party on Saturday 10th September 2011. She won the poll with 1,191 votes, and her nearest contender, the incumbent, polled 353 votes. By this feat, she became the first woman to ever head a major political party in Ghana. Her victory, along with three other female members of the party, is hailed as marking the renaissance of the ailing C.P.P., and an affairmation of the parties long held tradition of promoting women's rights. Parallels are already being drawn between her and "Yaa Asantewaa"-the fabled Asante heroin, for her bravery, and in more contemporary times, Sonia Ghandi of the Congress party in India.
Samia is the second child of Kwame and Fathia Nkrumah. She has two brothers, Gorkeh Gamal and Sekou. She also has an older half-brother, Professor Francis Nkrumah, a retired Lecturer and Consultant Paediatrician. She is married to Michele Melega, an Italian-Danish man and they have one son, Kwame.[3]
| Parliament of Ghana | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Lee Ocran |
Member of Parliament for Jomoro 2009- |
Incumbent |