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2026 WISA Festival climaxes with call for greater investment in women empowerment
The 2026 Women in Sustainability Africa (WISA) International Festival has ended with strong calls for greater investment in women empowerment, sustainable development, and stronger collaboration between men and women to drive Africa’s economic growth.
The event, held at the Cedi Conference Centre of the University of Ghana in Accra on May 1,2026 brought together government officials, development partners, civil society groups, traditional leaders, students, and women-focused organizations to discuss the role of women in sustainability and economic transformation across Africa.
Speaking at the festival, Founder and President of WISA, Rev. Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong, described the event as successful, adding that the vision of the organization was gradually becoming a reality.
She said the festival created an opportunity for people to share ideas on how women could take leading roles in building a sustainable future for Africa.
Rev. Sarpong noted that speakers from different sectors, including representatives from the United Nations, participated in the programme either physically or virtually.
She praised the large number of men who attended the event, stressing that women could not close the gender gap alone.
According to her, men and women must work together to achieve true gender equality and sustainable development.
She explained that WISA was not only focused on organizing conferences and festivals but was also developing projects in agriculture, energy, education, and the circular economy.
Rev. Nana Yaa Sarpong said the organization had already prepared business plans for several self-sustaining projects but lacked the financial support needed to fully implement them.
“What we need now is funding, partnerships and collaborations so we can reach more women and bring more women into sustainability,” she said.
She announced that the WISA International Festival would now be held every May 1, to recognize the contributions of women to national and continental development.
Touching on gender equality in Ghana, Rev. Sarpong said the country had made progress, especially with the election of the first female Vice President.
She said the development had shown many people that women were equally capable of occupying top leadership positions.
The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr.Naa Momo Lartey, said empowering women was important for inclusive growth, poverty reduction, and national development.
She said the government of John Dramani Mahama remained committed to improving the lives of women through policies and social intervention programmes.
The minister highlighted the implementation of the Affirmative Action Act and the National Gender Policy 2025–2034 as major steps toward promoting equal opportunities for women.
She spoke about the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme, saying a recent reassessment showed that many beneficiary households had experienced improvements in their living conditions.
According to her, government was introducing transition support systems to help families leaving the programme achieve economic independence.
The minister further stated that women had benefited from training programmes in agribusiness, renewable energy, and waste management to strengthen their participation in the green economy.
She praised Vice President Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang for supporting the establishment of the Women’s Development Bank, which she said would improve women’s access to loans, technology, skills, and markets.
The Climate Change Minister, Seidu Issifu in his address said women empowerment was necessary for Africa’s economic sustainability and climate resilience.
He stated that women continued to play important roles in agriculture, natural resource management, and community development but still faced challenges such as limited access to finance and leadership opportunities.
Mr. Issifu said the government had allocated GH¢400 million in the 2026 budget toward the establishment of the Women’s Development Bank.
He called for stronger collaboration among governments, civil society organizations, development partners, and the private sector to support women-led businesses and sustainable development initiatives.
The minister pledged support for the proposed WISA Resource and Research Centre, which he said would help promote research and evidence-based policymaking on sustainability issues.
Background
Women in Sustainability Africa (WISA) is an organization that promotes women’s participation in sustainability, climate action, economic empowerment, leadership, and development across Africa through partnerships, advocacy, research, and community-based projects.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Vice Chancellor of the Pentecost University, Apostle Professor Kwabena Agyapong-Kodua, is advocating an intentional conversation about the development and education of the boy child in creating stronger families and societies.
According to him, the boy child must not be ignored in conversations on leadership, education, family stability and national transformation because they are key to national development.
“There is a reason why a boy child must not be denied opportunities like education; he is a future leader. When boys are trained well, society becomes safer and stronger,” he stated.
Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua made the remark at a forum organised by the Church of Pentecost Schools Outreach Ministry in Accra to observe the International Day of the Boy Child observed on May 16.
It was held in collaboration with the Pentecost Men’s Ministry and the Ghana Education Service (GES), and under the theme: ‘Flourish and Thrive: Investing and Unleashing Boys for Strong Families and Communities.’
Leading the discussion, the Pentecost University Vice Chancellor warned that poor mentorship, declining in education, harmful social media influences and emotional neglect have made a lot of young boys vulnerable.
With a lot of the attention switching to the girl child, the boy child, he said was confronted with many challenges including violence, substance abuse, educational decline, emotional neglect and the absence of positive role models.
According to Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua, he noted that boys were turning to social media for direction due to the absence of fathers and mentors to help shape their lives.
“If we are not intentional, social media will mentor our children for us. We are not saying they should not use social media, but they should be guided to access the right information to excel in life,” he stated.
Prof. Agyapong-Kodua urged society to encourage boys to become creators of technology rather than mere consumers.
Contributing, Madam Gifty Asiedu, Director of the Girls’ Education Unit at the GES Headquarters, said the service remained committed to ensuring that no child was left behind, adding that, “supporting the boy child should not come at the expense of progress made in girl-child education.”
“If you focus intentionally on one gender and neglect the other, you create a societal problem,” she underlined.
She said the GES had observed some decline in boys’ retention in school, although the gap between boys and girls was not yet too wide.
“Over the years, attention has been focused on the girl child and we have seen the benefits. However, data now show that the statistics concerning the boy child continue to decline,” she indicated.
She explained that the service was implementing gender-responsive education to ensure that classroom teaching addressed the needs of both boys and girls equally.
Elder Barima Acheampong Sarpong II, Deputy Director of the Pentecost Men’s Ministry and Chief of Asante Asaman in the Ashanti Region, said society needed to critically examine the plight of boys.
“As we celebrate the International Day for the Boy Child, I urge every man to identify one boy child, find out how he is doing and dedicate some time to mentoring him,” he explained.
The programme, attended by educators, church leaders and policymakers, was the second edition following a partnership initiated last year between the Schools Outreach Ministry, the Pentecost Men’s Ministry and the GES.
It sought to improve school enrolment, completion rates and learning outcomes among boys so they could grow into responsible men who would build strong families and communities.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Candidates that wrote the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Ho Municipality are hopeful of obtaining good grades to make everyone especially their parents and the Regional Minister proud.
The candidates said they had so far sat the examination with focus and integrity after a call from Mr James Gunu, Regional Minister to avoid examination malpractice saying, they expected great performance upon release of results.
Mr Gunu, at the start of this year’s BECE delivered the message during a monitoring visit to some centres in the municipality including Ho Kpodzi EP Basic A School, Mawuli School, Mawuko Girls Senior High School (SHS), and Kabore School.
He urged the candidates to rely on hard work and discipline, warning that shortcuts could jeopardise their future.
“Stay focused and give your best in this year’s BECE – your determination and hard work will pay off. Avoid shortcuts and examination malpractice; integrity matters just as much as success,” he said.
The Minister, accompanied by the Ho Municipal Chief Executive, the acting Volta Regional Director of Education, and the Ho Municipal Director of Education, encouraged candidates to view the exam as a foundation for their academic journey and to celebrate responsibly after the final paper, commending parents, guardians, teachers, and officials of the Ghana Education Service for their support in preparing the candidates.
Candidates at some of the centres Ghana News Agency visited, echoed the call for honesty and high standards.
At Kabore School, Ms Francisca Atsu of Sokode Lokoe MA Basic School said, “The Regional Minister was here earlier to speak to us and also to encourage us. We’ve done our best. I assure him that we will make him and our parents proud.”
At Taviefe SHS Centre, Ms Valentina Sakpla of Taviefe R.C Basic School added, “We are expecting good results to make everyone proud and for our own good.”
Mr David Dotse, Supervisor at Kabore School, hosting 11 schools, with a standby ambulance on site to cater for any health emergency, reported smooth proceedings. –GNA
