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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
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EC to conduct elections in selected polling stations at Ablekuma North
As part of its commitment to resolve the impass egarding he Ablekuma North Constituency Parliamentary Election, the Electoral Commission(EC) yesterday, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, met with the representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The meeting, which was a follow-up to an earlier meeting held on Thursday, June 12, 2025, provided both parties the opportunity to brief the commission on any new
developments regarding the said constituency.
The parties informed the Commission that their positions put forward at the last mecting remained unchanged.
The NDC held the view that the election should be rerun thirty -seven
(37) Polling Stations because scanned Pink Sheets from 37 Polling Stations which were used to
collate the results, were provided the NPP.
The NPP was of the view that the results from three (3) outstanding Poling Stations be collated and a winner declared since the NDC Agents had verified and confirmed
the scanned Poling Station results they presented.
According to the EC, it is important for the public to understand that the issue in contention has to do with
the fact that 37 Pink Sheets provided by the NPP and used to colate the results were scanned copies.
“The Public may recall that Political Party supporters besieged our Collation Centre and
destroyed a number of the Pink Sheets for the Ablekuma North Parliamentary Elcction during the collation of results following the December 7 Gencral Election,” the EC added.
After extensive deliberations, the Commission informed the Political Parties that it would
proceed to rerun the election in 19
of the 37 Polling Stations.
The Commission arrived at the decision to rerun the election in the underlisted Polling Stations because, the scanned Polling Station resuits used for the collation, though approved by Agents of both political Parties, were not verified by the Presiding Officers responsible for the Polling
Stations.
According to the EC, it is instructive to note that the Commission was able to secure the Presiding Officers
verification and confirmation for 18 scanned Polling Station results-
Agents of both parties also approved same.
The election will be held on Friday, July 11, 2025
The Commission has further urged the Ghana Police Service to provide the needed security to ensure a safe environment for the conduct of the election.
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The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Addresses Parliament.
The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Emelia Arthur has disclosed that in 2021, Ghana was issued a yellow card by the European Union after being identified as a non-compliant third country in the fight against illegal fishing activities.
According to the Minister, the government, through the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, has engaged the European Union(EU) through the Ghana European Union dialogue, to address the concerns raised by the European Union(EU).
The engagement included the implementation of an action plan, periodic update report and validation exercises.
“We are happy to report that Ghana has made significant progress in resolving key concerns, primarily related to lapses in the regulatory framework, fisheries enforcement, and traceability,” she stated.
Also, she emphasized that a review of pending actions indicates that the enactment of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Bill, along with its accompanying regulations, remains critical to enhancing fisheries governance in Ghana.
She further informed the House that the Ministry has already submitted the Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Bill, 2025, to the House.
The bill was later referred to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Cocoa Affairs for consideration.
The Minister made this statement in response to a question posed by Member of Parliament for Atwima Mponua, Seth Osei-Akoto, regarding the immediate measures the ministry is implementing to sanitize Ghana’s fishing sector in the light of the European Union’s warning that Ghana could face a potential red card.
