A former First Lady, Lordina Mahama, has urged women to lead the effort to promote peace and unity before, during and after the December elections.

She said, violence and conflicts must be avoided in any facet of their lives particularly in this election year, as history had shown that women and children were most affected by electoral violence.

Mrs Mahama made the call when she joined the Women’s Ministry of the Evangelical Presbyterian (EP) Church for a thanksgiving service in Ho, last Sunday, to climax its 40th anniversary. It was on the theme, ‘Caring for God’s Creation; The Role of Women's Ministry'.

“I must stressed here and now that as women, we have a significant role to play in the sustainance of peace and stability in the country,” she said. Mrs Mahama emphasised the integral role women played in society which transcended beyond raising children and building good homes.

She said the role of women in every society went beyond the domestic core and included, among other things, ensuring peace and development. She, therefore, urged women to consider their responsibilities as sacred duties to God and humanity, reinforcing the value and respect they deserved.

Mrs Mahama highlighted the remarkable achievements of many Ghanaian women who had over the years shattered the glass ceiling and risen to prominence and cited personalities such as the first female Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang among other women to buttress her assertion.

Powerful Inspiration

Those women, Mrs Mahama noted, served as a powerful inspiration for young girls and women, demonstrating that with determination and resilience, any goal could be achieved.

The women

She said women were capable of reaching any height with focus and determination and urged the young women to strive for higher heights. She commended her husband, John Dramani Mahama, for his confidence in women and for selecting Prof. Opoku-Agyemang for the second time as his running mate and, hopefully, the first female Vice-President of Ghana.

She added that Mr Mahama had demonstrated inclusiveness and trust in women as equally capable candidates for leadership through his actions. Mrs Mahama, the founder and President of the Lordina Foundation, advocated equal opportunities for women to reach their full potential, asserting that women were more than capable of excelling at any level of leadership.

The leadership of the church offered prayers for the Mahama family and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) ahead of the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.