The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Shippers' Authority (GSA), Ms. Benonita Bismarck and 23 other women have been honoured for their contributions to national development at the fifth Ghana Women of Excellence Awards.
The Awards; which was organised by Top Brass Ghana in Accra was on the theme:"Empowering the Ghanaian Woman for National Development." recognised the sterling contributions of the awardees in the areas of banking, journalism, health, engineering, management, academia, among others.
Ms Bismarck was honoured for leading the GSA to champion the interests of shippers in shipping and trade facilitation by sensitising and educating shippers on cost-effective ways of doing their export and import businesses.
"As a result, members of trade associations such as the Ghana Union of Traders' Associations (GUTA), Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and other shippers across the country have received education on how to avoid the payment of demurrage in the country's ports, the benefits of local insurance and best export practices and procedures,." an excerpt of the citation read in her honour stated.
The CEOs of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) and Vodafone Ghana, Dr. Afua Asabea Asare and Mrs. Patricia Obo-Nai were also honoured for their contributions to export promotion and telecommunications respectively.
Other recipients of the awards included;the Deputy CEO of Exim Bank, Nana Ama Poku (Enterprise Finance); Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Mrs. Elsie Addo Awadzi (Public Financial Management; Dean of the School of Communications Studies, University of Ghana, Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo (Journalism) among others.
The event was part of activities organised to commemorate this year's International Women's Day under the auspices of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Child Protection.