Taaka Awori stressed the significance of prioritizing service over mere positional authority for sustainable leadership effectiveness.

She noted this at its tenth leadership training workshop organized in collaboration with Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), which brought together a diverse group of 30 leaders from the informal sector, including traders, head porters, and drivers.

In a conversation with Citi News, Taaka Awori maintained, “Even though today we have leaders who have formal roles within the associations, we are sending a message that everybody can be a leader. And leadership, therefore, is not about the title.”

Additionally, she urged individuals seeking to play various leadership roles in a business or association to develop effective personal values, particularly patience and understanding. She explained that the values impact on the quality of leadership.

For his part, a participant who is also the Chairperson for the Kpone Waste Pickers Association, Divine Dekonor, commended the organizers for equipping them with the knowledge to enhance the leadership roles played in their associations. He emphasized the significance of passing on the knowledge acquired to his followers to build their leadership qualities and enable a smooth transition of roles in the future.

Another participant who is the President of the Greater Accra Markets Association, Mercy Naa Afrowa Needjan, urged leaders within the informal sector to be time-conscious, know their members well, and understand basic laws about forming associations.