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A call has been made for the government and civil society to encourage and support the girl-child, right from secondary through tertiary education.
The call was made by Prof. Nana-Akyaa Yao of the National Cardiothoracic Centre and the Department of Child Health at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital when she delivered the Keynote Address at this year’s Ghana Women of Excellence Awards ceremony.
The Awards Ceremony was organised by Top Brass Ghana on the theme “Empowering the Ghanaian Women for National Development”, to celebrate the achievements of Ghanaian women, motivate them to strive for excellence and set up award winners as role models for the younger generation.
The first female Paediatric Cardiologist, Prof. Nana-Akyaa Yao, is a past recipient of the Ghana Women of Excellence Award.
She pointed out that historically, women have been seen as the weaker sex.
She described this as a misnomer and a misrepresentation of the truth, disclosing that it has been scientifically proven that women were more robust when it comes to longevity, survival, and coping with trauma and stress.
The tragedy, however, according to her, is that women have, intentionally or unintentionally, been disadvantaged across the ages in terms of opportunity, privilege and empowerment.
Noting that the Ghanaian woman was no exception to this disadvantaged status.
She entreated the government to expedite the passage into law of the Affirmative Action Bill, which requires 40 per cent representation of women in national governance and public office of power, authority and decision-making.
She stressed that the enactment of the Bill into law would give meaning to the provision for women’s empowerment in Ghana’s 1992 Constitution which enjoins the State to take appropriate measures to achieve reasonable gender balance in recruitment and appointment to public offices.
Prof. Yao lamented that although, by and large, all the Governments in Ghana’s 4th Republic have set a target of 30 per cent women inclusion, progress towards this target has been rather slow.
A former United Nations World Tourism Organisation Consultant, Nana Dr Baa Wiredu, who was the Chairman for the occasion, commended the award winners for demonstrating, beyond doubt, excellence and finesse in their various areas of accomplishment.
He hoped that their achievements would spur women, especially the younger generation, onto greater heights.
Altogether, 19 meritorious Ghanaian women were honoured. They are Joyce Ababio, Chief Executive, JACCD Design Institute Africa (Entrepreneurship/Education (Fashion Design)); Dr Mary Ansong, Chief Executive, International Sickle Cell Centre (Healthcare/Sickle Cell Therapy); Veronica Adzo Arhin, Ghana Armed Forces (National Security/Military).
Others are Mawusi Nudekor Awity, Director-General, Ghana Technical and Vocational Education and Training Service (Skills Development); Dr Mrs Enyonam Kpekpena, Project Manager, Electricity Company of Ghana (Building and Construction/Electrical Engineering) and Sheila Yaa Nyantekyiwah Minkah-Premo, Managing Consultant, Apex Law Consult (Legal Profession/Gender Advocacy).
The topmost Award, the Woman of the Year Award, was conferred on Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, the first female Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana.
