Sister Samimah Aziz is the daughter of Minister Abdul Akbar Muhammad, International Representative of the Nation of Islam and a companion of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. She is following in her father’s footsteps. Sister Samimah was enstooled as Queen Mother in Ghana’s Volta Region, where the late President Jerry John Rawlings grew up.
In an official letter from the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs of the Klikor Traditional Council representing the Republic of Ghana, the Paramount Chief and President of Klikor Traditional Area, Torgbi Addo VIII wrote it is “with great honor and pleasure that I, as the Paramount Chief and President of Council, appoint you, Madam Samimah Aziz, as the Queen for Klikor Traditional Area in the Diaspora.”
“Your tireless efforts and commitment to transforming millions of lives in Africa through various development projects have not gone unnoticed. Your dedication to the development of Africa as a whole is truly commendable, and we believe that your expertise and passion will greatly benefit our traditional area,” the letter continued.
Sister Samimah was enstooled on August 10, 2025.
Ghana’s Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MCRA) promotes peace, national stability, and development by managing relations among the government, traditional authorities (chiefs), and religious bodies. Established in 2017, the ministry formulates policies to preserve cultural heritage, resolve conflicts, and foster religious tolerance and, as of late 2024/2025, operates under the “Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.”
Sister Samimah explained to Africa Watch that there are efforts to expand the West African country’s “emerging development efforts,” which include many Black Americans moving there. “They want to reach out to more people in the diaspora to help them with development projects. Their idea is to bring in Black Americans to enstool them as Development Chiefs and Queen Mothers, who contribute to the growth and development of the community,” she said.
Ghana’s capital city, Accra, looks like New York City, Sister Samimah explained. But once you leave the city, you witness real rural, underdeveloped communities. The area where she was made Queen Mother needs help with the development of area schools and with school supplies, she said. They also need a health care clinic. “They need people to come in and assist with infrastructure, medical supplies and medical equipment.” In addition, she said, “They have an issue with the internet. There are areas in the Volta Region where there is no internet connection, so they are cut off from the rest of Ghana and the world.”
During a recent interview with Africa Watch, from their residence in Atlanta, Minister Abdul Akbar Muhammad, who has traveled to over 150 countries, and Sister Samimah, who in 1994 assisted her father in helping organize the Nation of Islam’s first Saviours’ Day Convention, outside of the U.S. in Ghana, discussed enstoolment.
“I think it (enstoolment) is an important step, and more than just putting on an African ceremonial robe and learning an indigenous language, and the ceremony that comes with enstoolment. I think it has the potential to be an important move. And I guess as time goes on, those who are enstooled will come to understand and appreciate its importance,” explained Minister Akbar. In 1989, under the guidance and instruction of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, Minister Akbar opened the first Nation of Islam mission in Africa, in Ghana’s capital city of Accra.
Minister Akbar was enstooled in the Asebu Traditional Area in Ghana’s Central Region. He was given the honor during an installation ceremony and celebration in mid-December 2022. The enstoolment, according to Minister Akbar, is seen as a beginning as well as a continuation of his efforts to unite Black people and engage the continent.
In the February 1, 2022, edition of The Final Call, Minister Akbar, who lived 10 years in Ghana, said, “I am honored … I am thankful to Allah (God). As long as He keeps me here and alive, I will be a fulfillment of the vision and dreams of those throughout history who wanted to come back to Africa and build.”
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