On a mission to empower sustainable change in Africa

Memuna Williams, BA 91, a project lead at the non-profit Junior Achievement Africa, has called many places home. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, she currently resides in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Williams credits her undergraduate experience at Concordia with setting her on a path of lifelong learning.

“The Translation program had a strong focus on culture and on current events,” she says. “We were encouraged to be curious and were given the tools to develop.”

Williams recently completed a doctorate in business administration from the University of Liverpool, where her thesis focused on social-responsibility program development in small and medium enterprises.

With graduate degrees from Université de Montréal and Queens University of Charlotte also to her credit, Williams has parlayed a successful career in translation into a critical role at one of Africa’s largest organizations working on youth economic empowerment.

‘We always thought about language’

At the time of Williams’s birth, her father, Sheka Hassan Kanu, was a doctoral student at the University of Alberta. Originally from Sierra Leone, he and his wife, Fatmatta Rawdatu Kanu, relocated their growing family to Edmonton.

“We always thought about language,” says Williams. “My parents had a choice of several Sierra Leonean languages, but they decided that we should speak English at home as a way of supporting our education.”

The family returned to Sierra Leone after her father completed his PhD in English literature. Within a year, he was appointed to a diplomatic post in Europe.

“My father was ambassador to Germany, so German became my second language,” recounts Williams. “Then he was assigned to the Benelux countries, and we lived in Brussels. That’s where French came in.”

Now fluent in English, French and Krio — Sierra Leone’s most widely spoken language — Williams also retains the ability to converse in German, Spanish and her parent’s dialect.

At Concordia, her fluency in French led to an invitation to apply for the Translation program. Williams soon discovered a natural aptitude and passion for the work.

When an advisor suggested that she develop a complementary skill, Williams enrolled in business law courses. This proved valuable when she later co-founded Avantgarde Translations with her sister Isata.

Williams has since moved away from the company, but her foundation in translation work has been invaluable, she says.

“You’re always researching when you’re a translator, and that has served me incredibly well.”

‘I’m helping young people design their own lives’

Inspired by her father’s remarkable journey and her family’s success as a whole — her husband, Victor, formerly served as CEO of NBA Africa — Williams is determined to pay it forward.

She has played a major role in admissions at the African Leadership Academy, which seeks to accelerate the continent’s growth through the development of raw talent. At Junior Achievement Africa, she has overseen the delivery of workshops in entrepreneurship, workplace readiness and financial literacy.

“I’m really happy with what I’m doing now,” says Williams. “I’m helping young people design their own lives.”

As a mentor to young women, Williams embraces the opportunity to reconnect with the many women who have inspired her. Most recently, she attended the biennial convention of a historic, predominantly Black sorority whose famed members include Kamala Harris.

Williams advises her mentees to do what she has done — learn all that they can and fearlessly explore.

“Get an education — go as far as you possibly can, as quickly as you can, so that you can go out into the world and live,” she says. “Make your difference.”