In the early hours of Sunday, October 11, 2020, Cocorioko Newspaper had a chance encounter with Madam Namina Kossay, aspirant for the APC USA Women’s Wing leadership position in the upcoming Branch Convention in the USA. In her usual pleasant and approachabledemeanor, Madam Namina granted this newspaper an exclusive interview covering wideranging areas of interest to our worldwide readers.
Cocorioko. Thank you Madam Namina Kossay for granting us this opportunity. It is our understanding that you are an aspirant for the APC USA Women’s Wing leadership position. Please introduce yourself to our readers.
Namina – First, I thank you for the great work that Cocorioko continues to perform for the Diaspora and the people of Sierra Leone. You have helped bridge the gap between propaganda and reality for the people of our beloved country. As you mentioned, I am aspiring for the APC USA Women’s leadership position. I have served in leadership capacities in the APC since 2008. These include working with three Chapter Presidents in New Jersey as Assistant
Women’s Leader and as Women’s Leader. At the Branch level, I have held two national executive positions including my current role as Deputy Organizing Secretary responsible for coordinating and managing resources in support of our Branch and parent body in Sierra Leone.
Cocorioko – Please tell us how your leadership experiences at the Chapter and Branch levels have prepared you for the Women’s Leadership position in the APC USA Branch
Namina – Excellent question. Good leaders learn from experience and that experience ncludes successes as well as failures. Serving at various levels leading women in my chapter exposed me to the challenges we face in recruiting, organizing and retaining our membership. As you know, regardless of how many new members you recruit, if you fail to retain your
current membership, you will find it extremely difficult to expand and maintain a vibrant organization. I have the experience to do exactly that for the APC USA Women’s Wing. I am a people person. I lead by example.
I bring people together to achieve common goals. Politics in this era of social media and competing priorities requires someone with the skills and
temperament to build relationships. As we work to transition from opposition to governing in Sierra Leone, this very important part
of the APC USA Branch requires a unifier. Someone who is humble, a good listener and transparent in every aspect of managing people. Otherwise, these very intelligent women in the APC USA will see right through your gimmick. Therefore truthfulness, being approachable,
having excellent organizational skills, having an open-door policy where you pick-up and return phone calls ensures that you continue to galvanize the membership and keep them engaged. I am the leader who can provide these unifying skills for the APC USA Women’s Wing. These are skills I learned in more than a decade serving in various leadership roles in the APC during which success required working with Women from all Chapters across the United States and our parent body in Sierra Leone.
Cocorioko – As the leader of the APC USA Women’s Wing, what can we expect from a Namina Kossay administration?
Namina – You can expect peace, transparency, growth in membership and growth in the financial strength of the APC USA Women’s Wing. You can expect a Women’s Wing that will work with the APC USA Youth League and Branch leadership to maintain and expand our status as the most vibrant APC Branch in the Diaspora. You can expect a Women’s Wing where
we all rise together. You can expect a Women’s Wing where no one, absolutely no one will be left behind.
Cocorioko – That brings me to your campaign theme of Rising Together – No Woman Left Behind. Please tell us more about this wonderful theme.
Namina – Rising Together – No Woman Left Behind comes from two concerns that I have for women. Firstly, our people still believe that the kitchen or the back of the line is the rightful place for women. The goal of this theme is to help us move away from that old mindset and prove that we are capable leaders who can excel in all areas of leadership. Secondly, there
is always this concern that politicians campaign to win for personal self-interest while leavingtheir supporters behind. My campaign theme of Rising Together – No Woman Left Behind is designed to remove those concerns. Because with me, you can be certain of a Women’s leader
who will seek the collective interest of our membership. It is interesting that you asked about this theme because the men in our APC USA Branch have been asking me lately if men were included in Rising Together. And the answer is yes. With Namina Kossay as APC USA Women’s
Leader, our entire Branch will Rise Together.
Cocorioko – Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak with you, Do you have any closing remarks for our readers?
Namina – Again, thank you Cocorioko for the work you do. Thank you to the wonderful women of APC New Jersey and the APC USA Women’s Wing who have all worked with me in my various leadership roles since 2008 to the present. It is the relationships, challenges and successes we have experienced together in planning, organizing and implementing fundraising activities that have prepared all of us to Rise Together. Vote for me, Namina Kossay, as your next APC USA Women’s Leader as we elevate each other in Rising Together – No Woman Left Behind
Cocorioko – Thank you Madam Namina Kossay for this exclusive interview. We hope you will grant us a follow-up interview in the near future
Namina – Thank you. May God continue to elevate the APC and may God bless Sierra
Leone.
