President John Dramani Mahama has named Shamima Muslim as the new Deputy Presidential Spokesperson, tasking her to work closely with the Acting Presidential Spokesperson, Felix Kwakye Ofosu.

A broadcaster, gender advocate, and development communicator, Shamima Muslim brings a wealth of experience to her new role at the Presidency. She is the Founder and Convener of the Alliance for Women in Media Africa (AWMA), a non-governmental organisation dedicated to improving the visibility and impact of women in the media.

Muslim’s career spans several achievements, including her role as one of the moderators of Ghana’s 2012 Vice-Presidential Debate and her selection as a pioneer representative of Ghana at President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative in 2010. Her expertise encompasses advocacy, negotiations, leadership, and media communications, making her a strong addition to the President’s communications team.

In her advocacy work, Shamima has been a member and ambassador for numerous initiatives, including the Ghana Right to Information Coalition, the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, and UN-Youth Ghana, where she champions Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality. She has also collaborated on projects funded by organisations such as the EU, USAID, DFID, and the Commonwealth Foundation.

Speaking about her transition from media to politics, Shamima recently shared that her decision was deeply personal and driven by the need to increase women’s participation in Ghanaian politics. “The decision to go into politics was not forced on me. There are a lot of people who support political parties behind the scenes, but I wasn’t going to use a media platform to execute the political agenda of any political party,” she explained.

Her professional integrity as a journalist has been widely praised, with Shamima reflecting on her career with satisfaction. “I am glad that I was able to do a very professional job that people today can say that yes, you did execute your job professionally guided by the ethics of the profession,” she stated.

In her new role, Shamima Muslim is expected to enhance the Presidency’s communications strategies, contributing to effective public engagement and advocacy for the government’s programmes and policies.