The year was 2008. An 8 year old Mimi Boateng was the cynosure of all eyes at the opening ceremony of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), where she was carried into the Accra Sports Stadium in a mini-palanquin, resplendent in traditional Kente cloth, while clutching the official AFCON trophy.
She never kicked a ball, neither was she among the VIPs that graced the final between Egypt and Cameroon. And yet, she was practically one of just two Ghanaians, alongside President John Agyekum Kufuor, to have touched the AFCON trophy before it was taken away by eventual winners Egypt.
She never kicked a ball, neither was she among the VIPs that graced the final between Egypt and Cameroon. And yet, she was practically one of just two Ghanaians, alongside President John Agyekum Kufuor, to have touched the AFCON trophy before it was taken away by eventual winners Egypt.
So I looked towards my left and I saw her and she was like ‘lift it, lift it!’ The minute I lifted it and looked up, I just saw a stadium full of so many people. I nearly even dropped the trophy because I was so nervous.
“But I turned and I saw my mum on the sideline and she was just smiling and waving at me. I think that made me relax and gave me the confidence to continue. It was at that moment that I realised how grand the whole thing was.”
Fast forward till today, Mimi Boateng, now 25, is a certified Electrical and Electronics Engineer. She graduated from the University College London in 2022
Don't we all love some #PowerofAfrica stories?!!!
“But I turned and I saw my mum on the sideline and she was just smiling and waving at me. I think that made me relax and gave me the confidence to continue. It was at that moment that I realised how grand the whole thing was.”
Fast forward till today, Mimi Boateng, now 25, is a certified Electrical and Electronics Engineer. She graduated from the University College London in 2022
Don't we all love some #PowerofAfrica stories?!!!
