MIIF CEO: Discipline, innovation crucial for women leaders in finance

The Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), Justina Nelson, has called on women leaders in the financial services sector to embrace resilience, discipline and innovation as tools to transform adversity into sustainable organisational and national value.

She explained that difficult moments should not weaken leaders but rather strengthen their resolve to lead with courage, clarity and purpose, adding that resilience enables women in leadership to remain focused on creating lasting impact even under pressure.

Speaking at the maiden Women in Finance Summit in Accra, held under the theme “Turning Obstacles into Gold: Unlocking Resilience and Leadership in Finance,” the MIIF CEO described resilience as a leadership imperative rather than merely a personal attribute, particularly in times of uncertainty and institutional change.

Addressing a gathering of senior executives, professionals and emerging leaders, she said her appointment to lead MIIF coincided with a period of significant change, including amendments to the MIIF Act that reduced the Fund’s statutory share of mineral royalties from 77.6 per cent to 2 per cent.

This was further compounded by a transition in political administration and the heightened expectations associated with a woman assuming leadership of the Fund.

“These circumstances could easily have been perceived as setbacks. However, leaders who remain steady under pressure are better positioned to make sound decisions, inspire confidence and guide their institutions through complexity,” she noted.

Mrs Nelson, who is credited with driving major structural and institutional transformation at MIIF over the past 12 months, stressed that turning obstacles into opportunities requires a deliberate mindset shift, mental toughness and the ability to view setbacks as learning experiences rather than failures.

According to her, resilience is built intentionally through self-awareness, transparent communication, adaptability and continuous learning, both at individual and institutional levels.