Amina Mohammed's Visit to Mali: Empowering Young Women through Skills and Entrepreneurship

in Bamako, Mali. The Centre provides vulnerable young girls and women with skills for income-generating activities which, together with health services and literacy support through UNFPA-supported safe spaces, empowers them and equips them with the skills and knowledge to reach their full potential and contribute to the development of their communities and country. 

This site visit was held at the conclusion of Ms. Amina J. Mohammed’s 3-days visit to Mali to engage in high-level political discourse with the Malian government as well as galvanize partners and resources around the UN’s work in Mali.

During the Deputy Secretary-General’s visit to the Cheick Modibo Diarra centre in Bamako, she had the chance to interact with young girls who were being trained in a range of skills that empowered them to move into the labour market and earn a living. More than 1,000 young girls are trained annually in this training centre, including 125 young girls in the Safe Spaces program, a project supported by UNFPA and the Ministry of Youth and Sports. This initiative offers out-of-school young girls, including those living with disabilities, a safe environment where they can acquire essential skills in sexual and reproductive health, in literacy, and in training in promising professions to ensure their economic empowerment.

The Deputy Secretary General, accompanied by the Special Representative of the Secretary General for the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Mr. Leonardo Santos Simão, as well as the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Mali, Mr. Alain Noudéhou, was welcomed at the centre by a delegation composed of the Chief of Staff and Technical Counsellor of the Ministry for the Promotion of Women, Family and Children; the Deputy Director of Multilateral Cooperation representing the Minister of Foreign Affairs; a representative of the Ministry of Youth and Sports; the Director of the training centre; and the Officer-in-Charge / Deputy Representative of UNFPA.

The centre's director presented the various training courses, ranging from cutting, sewing, and makeup to bakery-pastry making, including henna application, tattooing, event decoration, and the processing of agri-food products. The Deputy Secretary-General observed the girls engage in the various skills-building activities, asked them about their hopes and aspirations, and participated in some activities herself. Some of the young girls proudly explained that they were already selling their creations on social networks, proving their success on the path to female entrepreneurship and community mobilization.

Subsequently, Ms. Mohammed met graduates from the training centre, who were financially independent and pursuing diverse careers since their graduation from the centre. Some do the traditional henna and tattoo application, where Ms. Mohammed took part in session by having a design tattooed on her hand. She was also able to admire decorations created by young girls who graduated in event decorations. She met with graduates from the agri-food training who presented their processed products, such as natural juices, dried mangoes, and ginger powders using local products. The graduates demonstrated their ease with using technology to advance their career aspirations; for example, one of the graduates is a rising TikTok star who uses the platform to sell her cakes and pastries. 

Before the Deputy Secretary-General departed from the Cheick Modibo Diarra centre, she addressed the young women and girls directly. She spoke to them of the importance of pursuing their hopes and dreams and emphasized that their empowerment was the pathway to the development of the entire nation. On that inspirational note, the Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Amina J Mohammed, concluded her visit to Mali.