Mme. Cissé Hadja Mariama Sow

Mme. Cissé Hadja Mariama Sow,

(President of the Union of Women Ulama of Guinea (UFOG), Guinea politician)

Mme. Cissé Hadja Mariama Sow is the President of the Union of Women Ulama of Guinea (UFOG) and has had a brilliant political and professional career.

Mme. Cissé Hadja Mariama Sow has been working for women causes for more than 50 years and advocates for the education and training of women to enable them learn to defend their rights as wives and mothers. Over her long political and professional career, covering several sectors, her work for women’s causes has been a consistent highlight. Born in 1942 into a large family in Guinea’s Labé region, she became involved in politics around the time of Guinea’s independence in 1958.

 In 1972, she was elected general secretary of the Union of Revolutionary Women of Guinea and to the National Assembly, where she sat for 12 years. She was the first president of the West African Women Association, and was involved with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). She has worked with various non-governmental women’s associations, as well as with youth organizations, particularly the youth wing of the African Democratic Rally and the National Organization of Free Unions of Guinea. 

She has a long involvement in inter-religious peace organizations and efforts, and has also worked for national reconciliation. She is a Co-President of Religions for Peace. As President of the Union of Women Ulama of Guinea and the Coordinating Office of Muslim Women Associations of Guinea, she advances religious participation in national, international affairs and inter-religious cooperation. She was one of the 1000 women nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize. Since 2017, Madame Cissé Hadja Mariama Sow has served as the president of the Group of Religious Leaders for Health, Development, and Peace in Guinea.

Mme. Cissé Hadja Mariama Sow has been at the forefront of women movement in her country and has worked tirelessly to ensure that women in Guinea have the same rights as men.

(Source: https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/ , Religions for Peace: rfp.org )