Politician, social justice and equity activist, philanthropist and daughter of the late Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first prime minister and president, Samia Yaba Christina Nkrumah is one of two personalities named an honorary member of this prestigious African-American women’s service organization, along with American actress, singer and philanthropist, Dawnn Lewis. They were inducted earlier in 2022, the organization announced in a statement released Friday, Oct. 7.
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated is a prestigious nonprofit organization that has always focused on social causes. Founded in 1920 on the campus of Howard University, the organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and brings together more than 125,000 college-educated women with more than 850 chapters in North America, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East.
In 1948, Zeta Phi Beta became the first Greek-letter organization to establish a chapter in Africa (in Monrovia, Liberia). Zeta Phi Beta is the third largest predominantly African-American sorority. Zeta Phi Beta and Phi Beta Sigma are the only constitutionally related sororities and fraternities within the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC).
The Political Legacy
Samia Yaba Christina Nkrumah is the eldest of three children and only daughter of Ghana’s first prime minister and president, Kwame Nkrumah and his Egyptian wife, Fathia Halim Rizk.
Born on June 23, 1960 in Aburi in eastern Ghana, she left Ghana with her family in 1966 after the illegal overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah’s government. For a decade, the family lived in Egypt, returning to Ghana in the 1970s, then leaving again in the 1980s. Samia Yaba Christina Nkrumah, who is fluent in Arabic, Italian and English, worked for many years as a journalist and media consultant. She was educated in Ghana, Egypt and the United Kingdom. She holds a Master’s degree in Arabic Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London in the UK.
First woman to lead a political party in Ghana
Returning permanently to Ghana in 2008 after living abroad for many years, Samia Yaba Christina Nkrumah declared her intention to “revive the vision of Kwame Nkrumah” by joining the Convention People’s Party (CPP), a party founded by her father in 1949. She ran for parliament in 2008 in the Jomoro constituency in western Ghana, winning by a landslide. On September 10, 2011, she made history by becoming the chairperson of the CPP, the first woman to head a political party in Ghana and also the youngest to hold such an important position.
Samia Yaba Christina Nkrumah is the founder and president of the Kwame Nkrumah Pan African Center (KNAC), an organization created in honor of her father to promote his vision, philosophy and political culture in the context of a united Africa. The Pan African Kwame Nkrumah Center advocates for policies and legislation that positively impact the lives of Africans. Among other things, KNAC contributes to the development of social and economic infrastructure in disadvantaged urban and rural communities. All these actions stem from the belief that peace promotion is about development.
Among her many charitable activities, Samia Yaba Christina Nkrumah is a founder of Africa Must Unite and a member of the Patrons Council of the Coalition of Supporters’ Unions of Africa (COSUA).
Advocate against child marriage
Samia Yaba Christina Nkrumah is an advocate against child marriage and a strong supporter of women’s empowerment and women’s affairs. She is married and has a son, Kwame.
Dr. Stacie NC Grant, President and International Executive Director of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. said, “We are proud to welcome Dawnn Lewis and Samia Yaba Christina Nkrumah to our prestigious organization. Honorary membership is reserved for women who have achieved the highest accomplishments in their profession and who have demonstrated a commitment to the ideals of our sorority. Our two new honorary members join us at an exciting time for our sorority and we look forward to all that we will accomplish together in the years ahead as we continue to expand our footprint of service around the world.”
