#MWF2016: A Stroll with Dehab Ghebreab, Public Affairs Officer, US Consulate Lagos

“Goal 4 and 5 are very important to me and they are connected. I believe if there’s good and equal education in a country, and if there are fair laws that protect women & girls and give them equal opportunity to excel, I think the overall political and economic situation of a country will change” ~ Dehab Ghebreab

I was not so lucky this year with my 2016 Mandela Washington Fellowship application, and I know a couple of young Africans who are feeling quite disappointed because they didn't make it too. Not too worry, today's stroll has good news for you.

The US Government’s diplomatic mission in Nigeria—and Africa in general—provides a lot of developmental opportunities via exchange programs for young people who are passionate about impacting positive change in their communities. Dehab Ghebreab, Public Affairs Officer, US Consulate Lagos, told me about the Mandela Washington Fellowship and other exchange programs by the US Government in Nigeria and Africa and how young people can take advantage of these opportunities.

Dehab and I also discussed #Africa4Her, International Women’s Day 2016, her journalism and political science background, and how she’s personally contributing to the SDGs in her corner of the world. You can download our conversation on #StrollPodcast, or read a summarized transcript below.

A Stroll with Amina J. Mohammed, Honourable Minister for Environment, Nigeria & Ex-Adviser to the UN Secretary General on Post-2015 Development Planning

“I see the SDGs as my 17 children, and every single one of them is special in a different way, but together they are amazing…” ~ Amina J Mohammed

Two decades after the struggle started for the cleanup of Ogoni land and other areas of the Niger Delta polluted by oil, there is finally some light at the end of the tunnel—and that light is carried by Nigeria’s Environment Minister, Amina J Mohammed. 

Before her current role as Nigeria’s Environment Minister, Ms Mohammed played a key role in the post-2015 development process as she served as the Special Adviser to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on post-2015 development planning. Some other previous roles she has played include; Senior Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on the Millennium Development Goals—serving three presidents over a period of six years; Founder and CEO of the Center for Development Policy Solutions, and Adjunct Professor for the Master’s in Development Practice program at Columbia University. 

On this episode of #TheStroll Amina, a proud mother of 6 who considers her children as her greatest achievement, shares more details about the cleanup process of the Niger Delta and President Buhari’s commitment to this project, an advice on how partnerships can make the SDGs work, as well as her personal success recipe. 

As always, you can listen or download this interview on #StrollPodcast or read a summarized transcript below