Gender
Ngleshie Alata Queen mother pledges to champion girl-child education
The newly enstooled Paramount Queenmother of Ngleshie Alata, James Town in Accra, Naa Affipong IV, has pledged to make girl-child education the cornerstone of her reign, emphasising its critical role in transforming communities and empowering future generations.
Speaking after her recent enstoolment, Naa Affipong IV, known in private life as Mrs Alberta Addo, called on parents and guardians to prioritise the education of their daughters, stressing that educating a girl has a far-reaching impact beyond the individual.
“I pledge to dedicate my reign to champion girl-child education, which is a crucial tool for youth empowerment and community development,” she declared.
She pointed out that empowering girls through both academic and vocational training would not only reduce social issues such as teenage pregnancy but also prepare them to become responsible and influential leaders in society.
Naa Affipong IV highlighted the urgent need to provide young girls with equal opportunities and create environments that support their growth and confidence.
She urged parents to be intentional about their daughters’ futures, saying “an educated girl has the power to lift her entire family out of poverty and transform her community. We must not fail them.”
The Queen mother also appealed to chiefs, elders, and community leaders to join forces in promoting initiatives aimed at empowering the youth, particularly young girls, through education, mentorship, and entrepreneurship.
While advocating girl-child education, Naa Affipong IV stressed the importance of peace, unity, and moral values within the community, especially among the youth.
The Queenmother also emphasised the importance of collaboration between traditional authorities and state institutions to address broader community challenges such as unemployment, infrastructure deficits, and social vices.
Her enstoolment ceremony was marked by vibrant cultural displays and attended by chiefs, queen mothers, elders, and residents of the Ngleshie Alata community. As part of the rites, she swore an oath of allegiance to the elders of Adjumako Durampong, promising to serve her people with dedication
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
A training and capacity-building workshop was held on Thursday for the media to intensify coverage on gender-based issues to support women’s participation in leadership and governance in Accra.
The workshop, held under the theme ‘Strengthening Advocacy for the Implementation of Ghana’s Affirmative Action (Equity) Law, 2024 – The Case of the Media’, brought together journalists from selected media houses.
The Convener of the Affirmative Action (AA) Law Coalition, Ms Sheila Minka-Premo (Esq.), stressed that the media has a critical responsibility to educate the public on the importance of the Affirmative Action Act, noting that sustained and informed reporting would strengthen advocacy and support the effective implementation of the law.
While commending both the Legislature and the Executive for the passage and presidential assent of the Affirmative Action Bill into law, the AA Law Coalition Convener appealed to government to address existing gaps. These include the constitutional provision of 30 per cent women’s representation in politics, inadequate policy frameworks to advance affirmative action, and weak compliance by state institutions.
She charged the media to highlight and promote the role of women in leadership and to actively support a smooth and effective implementation process of the Act.
In her welcome address, Executive Director of ABANTU for Development, Dr Rose Mensah-Kutin, said the training sought to strengthen journalists’ advocacy skills to enable them to educate the public on the provisions and significance of the law.
Dr Mensah-Kutin commended ActionAid Ghana for supporting the advocacy efforts, urging the media to prioritise the law to ensure its sustainability.
The Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121) was passed by Parliament in July 2024 and received presidential assent in September 2024, following years of sustained advocacy by women’s rights organisations, gender activists, and other stakeholders.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
STEMINIST Foundation, Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) with support from Keta Ramsar Centre has trained about 25 women selected from the Keta Municipality on the rights of women and how to use them for their voices to be heard in their communities.
STEMinist Foundation, Ghana, is a network of women advocating equal opportunities through excellent representation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
The women, mostly fishmongers and other self-styled workers, were taken through topics such as Understanding Energy and Climate Justice, Fossil Gas Expansion, Livelihoods’ Care Work and Health, Women Leadership, and Power Building among others.
Mrs Nerissa Edem Anku, Gender Justice Transition Advisor of the Foundation, noted that the theme “Energy Justice: Empowering Women with Power, Rights and Dignity,” was chosen for the women to reconnect, reflect, and look ahead in shaping their rights as women.
She stated that women have been relegated to the background in the communities when it comes to decision making, stressing the need to correct that for them to know they have rights to fight for themselves.
Mrs Nerissa Edem Anku further noted that women in fishing communities wanted to see real and tangible improvements in their living conditions, spearheaded by government to prevent unhealthy confrontations with the local people.
She assured that the NGO would continue to strengthen its programmes to ensure that women were empowered to contribute meaningfully to the socio-economic development of their families, communities, and the nation.
Miss Portia Adu-Mensah, Facilitator, Community Mobilisation Communicator, on her part added that all stakeholders have to adopt more innovative steps to build an environment in which women can thrive. That, she said, would win the confidence of the women and promote more inclusive partnerships.
The Assemblywoman for Dzelukope, Ruby Adukpoh, on behalf of the women thanked the NGO for the gesture and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their collective voices and influence in shaping policies that will affect them.
From Kafui Gati, Keta
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
