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Women demand support for higher education
The government has been urged to develop deliberate policies to support women pursue higher education. A Senior Lecturer at Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Dr Gifty Oforiwaa Gyamera, who made the call, said that would help bridge the gender parity gap at the higher education level. She said this at a forum last Tuesday to discuss the gender inequality gap in higher education and measures to address it. It was under the Gender Equity and Women in Higher Education Writing Programme, and sponsored by the Centre of Excellence for Equity in Higher Education (CEEHE) at University of Newcastle, Australia. The programme which was developed by the Director of CEEHE, Professor Penny-Jane Burke, and Dr Gyamera, aimed at creating collaboration and mentoring opportunities for women in higher education.
CEEHE has adapted the research Writing Programme for Widening Participation Practitioners to engage women in higher education with the critical theoretical tools to examine questions of gender equity in a collaborative space of co-mentoring and exchange of women’s differently located experiences across a two different national contexts of Australia and Ghana and a range of disciplinary fields. Dr Gyamera observed that there were more male lecturers than female lecturers at higher education level which ought to be addressed. “Now you cannot teach without PhD at the University and so there must be conscious effort by the government or stakeholders to promote female in higher education to pursue their PhD,” she stated. In view of this, she said scholarships must be provided for women to pursue their PhD in order to be at par with their male counterparts at the higher education level. She suggested that the number of ‘academic papers’
that women PhD holders needed to publish to be promoted, though debatable could be reduced for them and urged women to collaborate with their counterparts both in and outside the country to co-author academic publications. At the institutional level, she said, organisations needed to support their female staff to pursue higher education to help train more female lecturers.
“There should also be deliberate policies to emphasise mentorship and coaching particularly for the early career academics,” she added. The Human Resource Director at GIMPA, Mrs Victoria Kumbuor also said academic work at the higher education level favoured men than women. She proposed that “Professors should pair with women who have the capacity to write academic papers for
publication.” That, Mrs Kumbuor said, would help equip them to assume leadership positions at the higher education level. “We do not say that standards must be lowered for women but what we are asking for is support be provided for women to be able to meet those criteria so that they could assume leadership positions and the gap can be bridged,” she added.
By Vivian Arthur
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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