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Diaspora African Forum honours Nana Yaa Sarpong with Women of Excellence Award At UNGA
Ambassador Dr. Erieka Bennett, Founder and Head of Mission of the Diaspora African Forum (DAF) Embassy for the African Diaspora, has presented the prestigious Women of Excellence Award to Nana Yaa Sarpong, Founder of Women in Sustainability Africa (WiSA).
The presentation took place during the Africa Media Leaders Roundtable held on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
The award celebrates Nana Yaa Sarpong’s contribution to advancing sustainable development, women’s leadership and transformative initiatives across Africa.
In presenting the award, Ambassador Bennett reinforced the importance of women lifting other women as they climb the leadership ladder.
WiSA is a Coordinating Pan-African Organization that work with other CSOs, Corporate Institutions, local and International Development Organizations and individuals to bring all women and women groups together (especially those at the grassroots level) to foster the achievement of the SDGs across Africa.
WiSA stands for the development of new perspectives and catalytic ideas towards accelerating growth for the achievement of the SDGs including Gender Inequality.
WiSA believes that to build a sustainable Africa, women must be pushed and supported to lead the drive for the achievement of the SDGs so we can leave this world in a better shape than we came to meet it. And this must be achieved alongside bridging the gender inequality gap through a two-pronged approach.
The awards are presented in two distinguished categories:
Living Legends Award, honouring pioneering women whose remarkable contributions have paved the way for future generations.
Women of Excellence Award, recognising women whose leadership, achievements and continued contributions are helping to shape Africa and the global African community.
The Living Legends category has previously honoured seven distinguished women including Chief Mrs. Dorothy Chinyere Anyiam-Osigwe, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini Zuma, H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, H.E. Joyce Banda, Mama Ngina Kenyatta, Mama Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and H.E. Ruth Sando Fahnbulleh Perry, among other iconic figures.
Through the recognitions, the DAF Embassy continues to spotlight women whose leadership, service and contributions represent important chapters in Africa’s continuing journey toward empowerment and development.
The Women of Excellence Award was conceived as a platform to recognise women of Africa and women of African descent whose contributions have advanced the struggle for political, social and economic independence through excellence and meaningful engagement.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Sammy Ayeh has picked up nomination forms to contest for the position of Deputy National Communications Officer position.
Announcing his intention, Dr. Ayeh said he is offering himself to help communicate the party’s vision clearly and connect its message with the aspirations of Ghanaians.
He expressed deep gratitude to the party’s National Communications Officer, Lawyer Sammy Gyamfi, describing him as an able leader on whose shoulders he has risen.
“His exceptional leadership, mentorship and confidence in me have shaped my journey and strengthened my resolve to serve,” Dr. Ayeh stated.
He said if elected, he will seek to build on that foundation by strengthening research-driven communication, empowering grassroots communicators, and enhancing strategic media engagement.
Dr. Ayeh humbly appealed to party members and supporters for their support.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The Data Protection Commission has called on the Minority Caucus in Parliament, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, JoyNews and other media houses to protect the personal information of 1,964 Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the Commission expressed concern over the public disclosure of the evacuees’ personal details, including their names, signatures and records of financial assistance received.
It warned that making such information public could expose the affected individuals to identity theft, fraud and other forms of harm, especially given the threats to their safety that some of them may have faced.
The Commission explained that the 1992 Constitution protects the dignity and privacy of every individual. It also cited the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843), which sets out rules for the lawful collection, use and disclosure of personal information.
While acknowledging the importance of transparency, parliamentary oversight, the right to information and press freedom, the Commission stressed that these principles do not automatically justify the unrestricted publication of personal details.
It said the disclosure of the records by the Minority Caucus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, JoyNews and other media organisations must be assessed based on the law, the purpose of the disclosure and the privacy rights of the individuals involved.
The Commission further noted that although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Parliament are registered data controllers in good standing, their registration does not exempt them from their legal responsibilities under the Data Protection Act.
It has therefore urged all the parties involved to take appropriate steps to protect the affected individuals, including immediately restricting access to or removing personal details from publicly available records where their continued disclosure is not legally justified.
The Commission announced plans to conduct a regulatory review to determine whether the disclosures had a lawful basis, what safeguards were applied and whether the privacy rights of the evacuees had been adequately protected.
It said it would engage the relevant parties as part of the review and take appropriate regulatory action if any breach of the law is established.
The Commission reiterated that protecting personal information and respecting human dignity must remain central to efforts to promote public accountability.
By: Jacob Aggrey
