Hajia Alima Mahama

Ministry for Women & Children's Affairs Hon Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister for Women and Children’s Affairs was born on 17th November 1957 at Walewale in the Northern Region. She had her Elementary Education at Walewale Local Authority Primary School and continued at Walewale and Nalerugu Local Authority Middle School.

Hajia Alimah Mahamah attended St. Francis Girls Secondary School, Jirapa where she obtained a G.C.E. Ordinary Level Certificate in 1975.

She proceeded to Wesley Girls High School, Cape Coast in 1975 and obtained a G.C.E. Advanced Level Certificate in 1977.

She entered the University of Ghana and successfully pursued a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree course in Law and Sociology between 1977 and 1980. She entered the Ghana Law School, Accra in 1980 and qualified as a Barrister at Law in 1982.

She studied at the Institute of Social Studies (ISS), The Hague, Netherlands between September 1985 and December 1986 and was awarded a Master of Arts degree in Development Studies with specialisation in Regional Development Planning.

Her other academic qualifications include a Certificate in Public Administration GIMPA, Accra, Ghana, 1987 and a Certificate of Achievement, Women in Development organized by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Ottawa, Canadian, in June 1991.

Between September, 1990 and August, 1991 she pursued a Post Graduate Programme in Development Administration and management at the University of Ottawa.

She has also undertaken Post Graduate Studies and Institutional Attachments in Urban Policy Planning and Women Studies at Rutgers University and the State University of New Jersey under the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program between August, 1999 and July, 2000.

Hon Hajia Alima Mahamah’s work experience includes:

Part-time Research Co-ordinator, CUSO WID Project, a rural women’s credit organization.

Training facilitator (part – time) Christian Council of Ghana Ecumenical Training and Consultancy Centre (August, 1993 – April, 1996)

Director of Maalizali, an NGO focusing on capacity building of local government institutions and partners, gender analysis planning and training (1996 – 2000).

Senior Planner and Gender Development Co-ordinator Northern Regional rural Intergrated Program (May, 1987 – April, 2001).

Development consultant with both national and international institutions on consultancy assignments as gender specialist, including gender specialist, IFAD Mission Country Program Evaluation (February to March, 1996) and Gender Specialist, IFAD Mission, Interim Review of the land conservation and Rehabilitation Project (February to March, 1998).

Hon Alimah Mahamah was a Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development from May 2001 to April 2003. She was also the Deputy Minister for Trade, Industry and President’s Special Initiatives from May, 2003 to 6th January, 2005.

The Hon Minister has had membership affiliation with several institutions, including The Ghana Bar Association, International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA-Ghana, Ghana Institute of Planners, Tamale-Louisville Sister Cities Committee from 1993 -2000 and Tamale Municipal Assembly between 1989 and 1993. Other Associations where she had served as a member on their committees are Advisory Board, National Council on Women and Development, Northern Region from 1992-1996 and between 1996 and 1998, she was a Vice Chairperson of the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana, Northern Region.