She was given the “Excellence in Empowering Women and Children Award’ at the Africa Public Sector award ceremony for her immense contribution towards women and her commitment and efforts against infant mortality in Ghana and across Africa.

Ms Otiko Afisah Djaba, Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, who received the award on behalf of the First Lady at Kigali, together with Ms Carolyn Opata, Country Director of APSCA, have handed over the award to Mrs Akufo-Addo at her office in Accra.

Ms Djaba said the First Lady’s impressive commitment and purpose driven interventions over the years towards the promotion and the well-being of women and children made her the obvious choice for that prestigious award.

The Minister said her Ministry was proud of the First Lady for gaining recognition on the continent and beyond and for the consistent work in the areas of improving infant well-being, citing the Komfo Anokye Mother and Baby Unit and the on-going project at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Cancer Centre.

Ms Opata on her part said the First Lady’s award was in recognition of the giant strides she had made in diverse ways to improve on maternal and child health care in the country.

She explained that the award was for people who had invested outstanding contributions to the development of their countries in Africa.

Ms Opata commended the First lady for the fact that her activities towards promoting the well-being of women and children predated her, becoming the First Lady of Ghana. 

She said the conference and award ceremony saw stakeholders drawn from across the continent who discussed how Africa could tackle corruption in public procurement as well as how the public sector could be more service focused.

At the awards ceremony, Ms Djaba, was also given two awards, one for herself as a Gender Minister, and the other for the Gender Ministry for its outstanding contribution to Gender and Children’s Rights and for the promotion of gender equality.

Other awards that went to Ghana at the ceremony included the Excellence in Electricity Service Delivery, which went to Electricity Company of Ghana; Excellence in Public Procurement and Best Practice Award, won by the Public Procurement Authority of Ghana, while the Africa Public Sector CEO of the Year went to the Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana, Mr. Samuel Boakye-Appiah.

Another Ghanaian woman, Professor Margaret Kobia, the first female Cabinet Secretary won the Lifetime Achievement Award.

South Africa, received the Outstanding Woman in Public Service Award, which went to the country’s Minister of Public Service and Administration, Ms Ayanda Dlodlo while Rwanda took the Most Outstanding Country award in Public Procurement.