Interview with Hannah Mathu
STRATEGIC DIRECTOR OF YOUTH LEADERSHIP PARLIAMENT, GHANA
We know that this is just one of the many hats that you wear. Please tell us about who you are and what it is that you do.
I’m a passionate person who believes in empowering youth across Afrika. I’m a pan-Afrikanist, who is not focused only on the politics of this continent, but more importantly how we get the youth to be empowered, how we get them inspired, how we get them innovative to turn their continent around.
What is the Youth Leadership Parliament?
Youth Leadership Parliament is an organization that was formed in Ghana. The founder, Kobby Fabian, an awesome gentleman, saw an opportunity to bring the youth together, put them in a setup that allows them to debate the issues that affect them within the continent, within the countries that they reside and from that he has now built up a program called the Youth Leadership Parliament, Africa. Specifically, at the moment, his focus is on Ghana but in the near future, having brought me on board as one of the strategic partners, we will have the Malawi chapter, we will have the Kenya, Angola and expand across Afrika. Because we believe in allowing and giving the youth a platform where they can debate and discuss the issues that affect them. Not necessarily from a political standpoint, but also from an economic standpoint and also from an entrepreneurial platform.
Why are you so passionate about the youth?
I have a 21-year-old and from seeing my daughter grow up, and some of the aspirations that she had for herself, I could easily pick up the impediments that she had and the challenges that she had in making this possible. Our youth have exposure to a lot of media, be it YouTube, TikTok, and through these various media platforms they identify opportunities that they would like to replicate in Afrika. And for her, specifically, that was what was happening. She wanted to replicate some of what she saw happening overseas in Afrika, but then she met so many challenges in logistics, fundraising, being able to unite and bring the youth together to create an opportunity.
My primary focus is in agriculture, because we live in a continent of plenty. I thought to myself, why can’t I get involved in getting the youth inspired to get involved in agriculture? Currently there is a lot of talk around cannabis farming, it’s a huge topic in the continent. As much as we don’t like talking about this as parents, a lot of our students in university already know about cannabis. So why not change that narrative from them just seeing it as something they engage in in the incorrect way into something they can cultivate into something useful by creating oils, by creating cannabis fiber? The cannabis fiber itself can be used to create sanitary pads for ladies and you know that’s a big issue in Afrika. It’s about empowering our youth to understand, yes, there are all those elements available to you, but what can you do with those elements which becomes innovative that would then enhance and empower you as a continent and as a youth and create money and revenue so that you don’t have to think about going elsewhere? It’s about shifting their mindsets.
To that effect I’ve been involved in a few elements also around beauty. I was part of a beauty show in South Afrika called Miss All Africa Nations. We have a lot of refugees in South Afrika, so I identified the young ladies in South Afrika, brought them together, and we created a beauty show out of it. Out of the beauty show we started creating beauty products, clothing, wigs that these ladies could be able to sell and give them some form of aspiration, to think about what else can I add value to myself and the continent as opposed to shipping wigs from overseas and China. Why can I not recreate it in Afrika?
You always look at what people are doing and find a way to take it to the next level, to become a part of it, and to help them become more. Where did you get that? Because many people are so busy trying to build what’s theirs, but you’re building everybody. How did this happen?
My daughter is one of the reasons this happened. My passion for building others is specifically for this reason, I understood as a mother my focus should not only be primarily on her and her education, but things she would like to do over and above education that are innovative. From that my interaction with other youth, me being youthful also made it easy for me to get motivated to aspire and inspire others. Ultimately, that’s what we need to do as a continent, that’s what we need to do as a government, that’s what we need to do as corporates out there. We need to aspire and inspire the youth around us so that they can create and bring out their greatness.
I want our young people in Afrika to get active and to get involved the way that you have. How do they get access to that?
My best advice would be get involved in the simplest way, by talking your issues out. The best way and the platform that has been provided to you, as I mentioned earlier, is the Youth Leadership Parliament, Africa. Right now, we have the Ghana chapter, which is quite successful, soon we will have the Malawi chapter, Kenya chapter and various other countries within Afrika. Why not get in touch with us and use that platform to start engaging? As you know when you start engaging and talking from there, you’re able to easily identify the quick wins that you can immediately implement. And over and above that you expose yourself to people who are willing to assist you into making the impossible possible.
Thank you so much for all your love and enthusiasm love for Afrika.
At Msingi Afrika we think that there is so much power in starting. So, if anything she has said has motivated you to get involved at some level, let us know and we’ll put you in contact with her, so that you can begin engaging at the level that you must in order to become part of the transformative story of Afrika.
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