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‘Women attain positions on merit, not through sexual favours’
It is disheartening to hear some men shamelessly tagging women in responsible positions as using their bodies to get to the top of their field or career.
“Women are also capable, women have skills, women have abilities so stop tagging every successful woman as having used her body to have reached her current positions, we don’t use our bodies, we use our brains”
The Chairperson of Network for Young Women Empowerment, Ms Ida Nakkar said these in an interaction with The Spectator Newspaper on the sidelines of a women empowerment programme at Wa last Saturday.
The programme was to project women as “necessary component of development and encourage society to do away with biases that affected the progress of women.”
The Chairperson who seemed appalled by such comments against successful women in society indicated that negative comments discouraged women from working harder towards national and human resource development.
“There are a lot of women who are capable of and interested in assuming political positions for instance but once the call is placed, they do not avail themselves because of the unwarranted name calling that come with assuming such positions”, she lamented.
She explained that the situation was compounded in instances where the women were unmarried and said some of them were even called all sorts of names that seemed to suggest that they attained their successes through sexual relations.
“We even hear people tag unmarried successful business women as witches and prostitutes and try to belittle their achievements and capabilities because they are not married”, she said and condemned such acts against women.
The Chairperson explained that in order for women to progress and remain empowered, it was necessary for society to recognise their unique capabilities and talents.
“It is really difficult as a woman to make it to the top because aside dealing with domestic issues that consume your time, you have to deal also with rumours that kill your energy”, she said.
She called on society to consider women capable people who had the ability to reason for themselves and make concrete decisions on issues and give them opportunity to thrive.
“If we think women are not capable, how then are they able to raise children, take care of the home as well as the needs of men; these silent roles that are very important for livelihood are often taken for granted, yet women handle them perfectly so with same managerial skills they can fit into any sector without qualms”, she added.
A dressmaker at the event, Madam Memuna Kipo also encouraged women who had little or no education to endeavour to acquire skills that would help them survive on their own
“I am not educated but I have a skill which gives me income so I want to encourage my colleague females that education is one of the ways to make it in life so if they are unable to access it due to one reason or the other, they should learn a trade and live by it in order to make them beneficial to society”, she stressed.
FROM LYDIA DARLINGTON FORJOUR, WA
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno, together with members of the Police Management Board (POMAB), on April 17, 2026, decorated nineteen (19) senior officers who have been promoted to their next ranks based on the recommendations of the Police Council and approval of the President, John Dramani Mahama.
The ceremony, held at the National Police Headquarters in Accra, forms part of efforts to recognise merit, dedication, and long-standing service within the Ghana Police Service, while strengthening leadership across key operational and administrative levels.
The officers promoted from Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) to Commissioner of Police (COP) are Dr. Luke Asue-In-Yeng Zakpaa, Mr. Frederick Agyei, Mr. Duuti Tuaruka, Mr. Arthur Osei-Akoto, Mr. Darko Offei Lomotey, Mr. Eric Ken Winful, Mr. Barnabas Nambont Nasumong, and Mr. Desmond Owusu Boampong.
The IGP and members of POMAB congratulated the officers and urged them to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and integrity in the discharge of their duties.
The Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions (G-NEXID) successfully held its sixth (6th) Exchange Programme, hosted by the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) Bank in Accra from March 22 to 23 March.
The event brought together member institutions, partner organisations and Ghanaian public entities to advance dialogue on South-South trade, investment and development finance, while also creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing and institutional cooperation.
Organised as a capacity-building and networking platform, the 2026 edition of the G-NEXID Exchange focused on GEXIM’s experience in developing innovative solutions to promote intra-African and extra-African trade.
It also highlighted trade and investment opportunities in Ghana, particularly in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and broader national development initiatives.
The Exchange Programme forms part of G-NEXID’s mandate to foster cooperation among export-import banks and development finance institutions in support of South-South trade and investment.
This 6th edition follows earlier successful programmes hosted by India Exim Bank (2016), BNDES (2017), Indonesia Eximbank (2018), Afreximbank (2019) and Saudi EXIM Bank (2025).
On the first day, participants were presented with G-NEXID institutional information and received an update on the Network’s 2026 work programme.
There were a series of substantive presentations, including an overview of the Ghanaian economy by the Ministry of Finance, with particular attention to debt-related challenges; a presentation by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), on investment opportunities in the country; and institutional presentations by GEXIM and Development Bank Ghana (DBG) on their respective mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Discussions during the sessions underscored strong interest in sector-focused webinars and business dialogues, particularly in agribusiness value chains such as poultry and rice.
Participants also emphasized the importance of continued information exchange and the sharing of best practices, especially in the area of guarantees.
The second day opened with a presentation on the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, a national economic transformation strategy launched by President John Dramani Mahama in July 2025.
The initiative aims to enhance economic productivity through continuous industrial activity, accelerated export development and strategic import substitution.
As the programme is expected to mobilise both private and development capital, it presents concrete opportunities for G-NEXID members in areas such as co-financing, guarantees, trade finance and technical cooperation.
The programme also featured institutional presentations by guest organisations, namely the African Guarantee and Economic Cooperation Fund (FAGACE) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD), which shared their mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Following these exchanges, the G-NEXID Secretariat held bilateral discussions with both institutions as part of the Network’s ongoing membership drive.
Participants further benefited from a presentation by the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB), as well as a showcase of GEXIM’s key pipeline projects.
On the margins of the Exchange Programme, G-NEXID members also held their 20th Annual General Assembly Meeting to review progress and discuss strategic priorities.
Following the event, participants joined the GEXIM@10 International Conference, held from March 24-25, 2026 under the theme, “A Decade of Enabling Export Trade and Industrial Transformation: Resetting GEXIM for the Next Frontier.”
The conference provided an important platform for exploring how Ghana can strengthen its transition from a primary commodity exporter to a more competitive player in value-added trade and industrial development.
Source – G-NEXID
