Ghana Fellow’s Passion Earns Her Coveted Volunteer Role
A passion for service and meeting the needs of her community drives Ghana Fellow Aliyata Uthman to consistently go above and beyond. While serving at the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, she vied for — and won — a coveted volunteer role as General Secretary for the National Service Personnel Association in the Greater Accra Metro District.
Prior to her election as General Secretary, she was nominated by ten National Service personnel from districts in the Greater Accra region. She was then vetted and elected for the position, winning against two male candidates.
In her new role, she will work to champion the welfare of all National Service personnel across the country. Aliyata is motivated to help personnel find relevant opportunities that prepare them for work, further studies, and entrepreneurship. “I want to help them prepare for the world after service. As a current National Service personnel, I feel that I can best connect with other personnel and put myself in their shoes,” she said.
Aliyata’s past leadership experience led her to serve in various capacities while on campus at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) such as; Floor President of the Africa Hall, General Secretary for the Ghana Biochemistry Students Association, Clerk of Science Students Association, and Tescon General Secretary.
“The experiences and lessons learned from these positions in the past are what I intend to use in the Accra Metro District to leave an impact, ” Aliyata added.
Some of the programs she looks forward to spearheading include seminars educating personnel on job application processes and scholarships for further studies. She also shared that service personnel would be taught how to write a professional CV, business plan, and pitch deck. Aliyata is hopeful that programs like these will make personnel stand out and thrive in the future.
With this exposure, her career goals include becoming a Minister for the Effia Constituency in Takoradi and a future President of Ghana.
