DIAMOND MUSLIM WOMAN ACHIEVER

I  am the eldest of 5 children. She stressed “Adiza it hasnt been easy at all but today I am  here looking nothing close to what I have been through.”

Ladies, I present to you our Diamond Muslim Woman Achiever, Hajia Amina Osman Ali, she is an Immigration Officer with the Ghana Immigration Service. For the past 6 years, she has been stationed at Kotoka International Airport, Accra. 

Immigration officers check and monitor travellers who transit Ghana to and from destinations in and outside GHANA. They work mainly at entry points in the country including but not limited to our borders with other countries, airports, sea ports etc. Others are stationed at offices around the country as well engaged in other administrative duties related to the service. Their work involves checking and analysing people who are coming in and out of a country and ensuring they have the necessary documentation to enter or exit the country. 

The role of an immigration officer can be quite challenging. It takes some level of social responsibility, integrity, security intelligence and diligence to be a successful one.

Regardless of her growing up challenges, Hajia had always maintained a positive composure, has been responsible and dedicated towards whatever life threw at her at every stage. In order to to fill that void her mother and father left following their death, Hajia as the eldest of the three siblings at home at the time since her two older female siblings were married and a brother was living away, she had to step in provide the needed leadership and play some bit of parental duties at an earlier age. This compelled her to seek for a job right after completing her secondary education at Accra Girls Secondary School. She started off in internship at Erata Hotel working in the kitchen department initially before becoming a waitress at the same hotel. This she continued to do to enable her fend for her siblings. 

Though, she and her siblings were fortunate enough to have had both parent build properties that could enable them earn some rental fees, she still was eager to create alternative sources of income for her and siblings. “We couldn’t have lived on just the rent Adiza” she told me. 

“I diligently pursued my waitress job and never focused on the negative aspect of it” she further stated stressing that nothing moved her   excepting working hard and earning her pay check since she was so determined and focused. 

Hajia later landed a distribution agent role with BINGO, suppliers of baby essentials in Kumasi. Unfortunately, the sugar in her tea had to finish when she barely started drinking the tea. Painfully, that work collapsed so she moved back to Accra with all hope dashed but quickly snapped out of it to look for another job. 

She didn’t have an option her siblings looked up to at that time for some essentials so she had to. She later took up the challenge of continuing her education at IPMC and graduated successfully with a Diploma in Software Engineering.  

It wasn’t long and she secured a job with NADMO in the Research, Monitoring and Evaluation department at Tarkwa where she stayed for 4 years away from home and family. She later applied and got enlisted in the immigration service of GHANA after going through various training and tasks. 

Aside working as an Immigration officer, Hajia also owns a cement shop and is also a registered cement supplier with GHACEM. This business she had to put on hold for a short while, so she concentrates on her maternity duties as a new mother.  but because of motherhood. She hopes to get back to the business after her maternity break. 

On entrepreneurship and finding alternative source of income, Hajia indicated that “As a woman don’t be all lazing about and expect that life will be rosey for you because of a man. No! It doesn’t work like that” 

If you are an orphan and abled body, find a career and make something good  out of it. Don’t live  your life expecting people to continue to empathise with you everyday.  Dwelling on the fact that, you are an orphan and so people should be kind, considerate  and supportive of needs will not  change the fact that, you have to go and also work for yourself. 

She entreated all women especially from the zongo communities who haven’t been educated to not give up but make time to learn a skill to better their lives. The fact that people will sometimes look down on you because you are not educated doesn’t mean there’s no working place or opportunity for you. Go out there and curve a notch for yourself. 

If you are married, don’t sit, fold your arms expecting your husband to be the only person responsible for things  regarding your home. You can also contribute your quota. Men admire, love and like to keep hardworking women as wives. 

Add value to your life and take charge of your future ambition. 

Born and breed in Madina Zongo, Libya Quarters, this typical Zongo woman  Hajia Amina, faced life and it’s challenging moments without setting any limitations on herself. She struggled and worked hard to reach where she is today. She had younger ones who looked up to her and so I worked hard like a man and played the parental role in their lives since they were very young and orphans. 

With a grateful heart, our Immigration Officer revealed, Allah has been good, very good. The story of yesterday still lingers in her mind but it’s the same struggles have brought out the best in her. Giving up was never an option in her dictionary. 

I was super determined, passionate and optimistic to make it in life after my parents demise and not only for myself but for my brothers and sisters.

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Writer: Adizah Ibrahim Kuburah 

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