I am Hani Abdi, a 22-year-old with a Diploma in Business Management.

Why are you competing for Miss Africa Calabar 2020?
I love beauty although it’s against my culture and my religion. Competing in Miss Africa Calabar 2020 gives me a chance to prove that we’re beautiful, our talent matters, and people like parents, relatives should help and support us in each way they can. I didn’t have much assistance but I worked hard to reach where I am now and I am going to work even harder to be the voice of the voiceless. I wasn’t given a chance and now I have the opportunity to create chances for others and give them a helping hand.

What solution would you offer for the challenges Africa is facing in terms of the COVID 19 pandemic and other health, governance, and environmental issues?
Lockdowns may not be the only answer in Africa. The issue of public health pandemic response will need to be addressed by enacting context-specific policies which should be implemented in a humane way by prioritizing social protection programs to provide people with resources to maintain economic productivity while limiting job losses.
Improvement of our standard of living is making non-communicable diseases like cancer, blood pressure, and diabetes big issues among our African community. The government should put in place measures that encourage the citizens to lead an active lifestyle.

What would you do with the prize money should you win and what project would you take on to impact Africa at large?
In most African communities, people with HIV/AIDS are abandoned due to the negative perspective we hold against them, yet they deserve full rights as human beings.
By investing in raising advocacy for the HIV/AIDS patients, will change the negative perspective we hold towards them through live talks, online campaigns, and workshops so as their voices can be heard as we begin to view them as normal people like everyone else.