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Vivo Energy holds maiden ShePower Summit 2025 to empower women into leadership
Vivo Energy Ghana, the exclusive distributor and marketer of Shell-branded fuels and lubricants has held its maiden edition of ShePower Summit 2025 with a call on women to own their power and not to wait for permission to lead.
The shePower Summit is designed to inspire and empower young women to excel in their academic and professional journeys, particularly Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields.
The event, which was on the theme, “Fueling Change: Redefining Possibilities for Women in STEM”, seeks to promote female empowerment and inclusivity in traditionally male-dominated industries, including oil and gas sector.
The occasion formed part of the Vivo Energy’s commemoration of the International Women’s Day and the ongoing commitment to promoting gender diversity and inclusivity.
Dr (Mrs) Ellen Hagan, the Founder and Group CEO, L’AINE Group and Co-Founder/Legacy Girls’ College, who made the call said, “we must own our power, and must stop waiting for permission to lead.
“As women, many of us are taught to second-guess ourselves, to wait for someone else to affirm our worth. But true leaders are those who don’t wait. They don’t need someone to validate their authority – they own it and step boldly into positions of influence,” she stated.
She emphasised, “No one is going to hand us (women) the leadership positions or economic opportunities we deserve in STEM. We must step forward, confidently claiming the spaces that we belong in, and making sure our voices are heard.”
She said leadership was the ultimate frontier of empowerment and that women must be present at the tables where decisions were made – in governments, boardrooms, financial markets, and global institutions.
“Some have played a crucial role in pushing for legislative and institutional reforms to ensure that women are given equal access to leadership and governance roles. As a leader in business, I have seen first-hand the transformative power of women in leadership,” she stated.
Dr Mrs Hagan said, “When women lead, businesses perform better, economies grow, and societies prosper.
Madam Reinette Wessel, Vivo Energy Group Chief HR Officer in a speech encouraged women to devote 80 per cent passion for work and 20 per cent knowledge to improve their conditions of life.
She said Vivo Energy invested in future leaders through their young talent and internship programmes such as Young Talent Programme, Succession Pipelines, and Resource Strategy.
Madam Wessel said under the Young Talent Programme, 400 young talents/graduates joined their business for between six-12 months to gain workplace experience, while the Succession Pipelines strengthened the talent and value the input of young talent, which brought different thinking and ideas.
“Investing in young talent is part of our resourcing strategy – create an exciting and rewarding experience,” she stated.
Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection in a speech read on her behalf said the passage of the Affirmative Action Gender Equity ACT, (Act 1121) by Parliament would strengthen the efforts of increasing women and girls in decision making bodies such as the School Representation Council, among others.
“Additionally, the Ministry has taken steps to review and update the National Gender Policy (2015),” she stated. She said the policy sought to create equal opportunities for all by mainstreaming gender equality and women’s empowerment concerns into the national development process to improve the social, legal, civic, political, economics, and cultural conditions of Ghana.
Dr Lartey said the Ghana Education Service under the auspices of the Ministry of Education had introduced new model schools for STEM schools.
“The introduction of these STEM schools has helped students to develop key skills including problem-solving skills, creativity, digital literacy, and critical thinking. Over five STEM schools have been established and operational.
“The results of these initiatives will invaluably promote gender equality, equity, and empowerment, thereby creating an enabling environment to ensure that more women and girls enter into STEM fields.
GNA
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
