The Department of Gender, Children, and Social Protection yesterday organised Men’s cooking competition with some selected institutions to mark this year’s International Women’s Day celebration in Sunyani- Bono Regional capital. 

The institutions include the Ghana Journalists Association, (GJA), Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Education Service, SDA Church, and GPRTU. 

The contestants prepared various dishes such as banku and okro stew, fufu and nkatenkonto, jollof rice, plain rice and stew, and mpotompoto .

The cooking competition was to drum home the message of unpaid care work engaged by women and solicit the support of men in that direction so as to enhance the wellbeing of women. 

Addressing the occasion, the Bono Regional Minister Justina Owusu Banahene commended women for their selfless contributions towards the development of society in general.

She said women are not in competition with men and that the occasion sought to highlight the critical role women play in achieving societal goals and aspirations 

She used the opportunity to appeal to men to assist their spouses at home in order to promote their health, peace, and harmony at all times. 

Ms Owusu Banahene also appealed to young girls to desist from engaging in social vices such as prosecution and lesbianism, noting that such tendencies go against women’s wellbeing.

The sumpahemaa of the Sunyani Traditional Council, Nana Akosua Ankoma, on her part, called on women to use the celebration of International Women’s Day to reflect on certain negative attitudes they exhibit towards their fellow women. 

She said that though it was good to highlight the positive contributions of women on such an occasion, it was equally important for women to take retrospective reflections on certain abuses they perpetuate against their fellow women, which go against their own good.

She mentioned abuses such as maltreatment often perpetuated against widows, orphans, and housekeepers, among others, carried out by women go a long way to negate the positive gains made towards their future match. 

At the end of cooking competition, GJA represented by yours truly Daniel Dzirasah, and Claude Abisa of Onua Tv and radio came in second with 24 points. 

Even though they placed second, their food was the one the organisers were clamouring for .

First, the Regional Director of Gender ordered for some of their food which was banku and okro stew. 

GPRTU won the competition with 25 points as they prepared fufu and nkatenkonto. 

The Ghana Immigration Service occupied the third position with 7 points, while the SDA Church and the Ghana Education Service followed. 

The first and second runners up received hampers with products from their sponsors.

It was a sight to behold as most women gathered at the event were excited by the sheer display of cooking skills by all the men at the place.

From Daniel Dzirasah, Sunyani