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Women In Sustainability Africa has been launched
Women In Sustainability Africa (WiSA)has been launched to mark a new beginning to accelerate growth towards the closure of the gender inequality gap.
The event, which was held on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at the Wesley Towers in Accra, brought together stakeholders to drive the sustainability agenda.
Speaking at the launch, the convenor for WiSA, Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong, said when God created the earth, He urged both men and women to be fruitful, take dominion and multiply.
“Gender inequality gap cannot be closed by women alone, when God created the earth, he empowered both the man and woman together and he said be fruitful and take dominion,” she noted.
Against this backdrop, she said if the gender equality gap can close, there must be catalytic efforts that causes a revolution in order to achieve such goal.
She said, therefore, there is a need for unity; men and women standing together, because there is strength in togetherness.
She said, this is the new beginning of gender empowerment and the new wave which must be propagated across Africa without any antagonism
“That’s why it is an African agenda we need to stand together, there is strength in numbers.The door of success we seek to enter as women, the men are holding the keys to the room, if you fight with them how do we enter the room ?,” she quizzed.
The key to bridging the gender inequality gap is two pronged. First is men standing side by side with women and secondly is the recognition of women as a source of labour with positive return on every investment that is made to build capacity in women.
Against this backdrop, she said if governments invest in women, there would be a return on investment, because if she were a subsistence farmer, “now she would be doing industrial farming, that is a higher productivity and higher capacity, and the GDP will improve.”
Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong said, the organisation will work with men, he for she champions, CSOs, Corporate Institutions, local and International Development Organisations to bring all women and women groups together (especially those at the grassroots level) to foster the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across Africa.
Speaking at the event, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr.Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, said, recognising the proportionate impact of climate change on women, the Ministry has developed a roadmap to strengthen the gender responsiveness of social protection programmes.
According to her, this initiative aims to ensure that their interventions are inclusive, equitable and effective in building resilience among vulnerable populations.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m pleased to use this occasion to announce that in alignment with WiSA’s vision, the Ministry will launch a campaign dubbed Women Labour Day, ” she revealed.
This campaign will be celebrated as part of the activities of May 1, and throughout the month of May every year.
She disclosed that in partnership with WiSA and other stakeholders, the Ministry will work towards using this campaign to nationally and continentally recognise women as sources of labour and agents of sustainability.
she said, this campaign would be rolled out in schools, media platforms and community spaces.
“Let this be more than a summit, let it be a starting point for renewed action and strengthened alliances. Let us charge forward as a united force where women are seen, heard, valued and empowered to lead sustainability,” she further added.
The Minister concluded by saying, “To all men who lift women as equals, with women, we stand with you,together we will build a sustainable Africa.”
The Minister of State in charge of Climate Change and Sustainability, Issifu Seidu, on his part said, “African women have always been the backbone of our communities, playing key roles in agriculture, healthcare, education, and the informal economy. However, their contributions remain undervalued and underappreciated in many spheres of society.”
“Today, as we launch WiSA, we take a stand to change that. Women are not just a part of the labour force—they are the driving force behind our sustainable future. From climate adaptation to community development, women’s roles are not only vital but central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he stated.
“We cannot achieve lasting environmental and economic stability unless we address the gender imbalances that still exist in many sectors, particularly in those related to climate action and green energy,”he said.
The Minister further said, WiSA’s vision to establish a Resource & Research Centre dedicated to tracking and promoting women’s contributions to sustainability could not be more timely or necessary.
Additionally, Minister for Labour, Rashid Pelpuo in his address said, the core of existence of any nation is the woman and the sustainability of the economy is as a result of the participation.
At all levels he had worked, he came to the realisation that to achieve success, you need both males and females.
He, therefore, encouraged women to be conscious about the role they play in society, adding that where there is a difference and women are disregarded, there would be a problem.
He announced that his ministry is working to amend the current Labour law to recognise the position of women in the country’s workforce.
The flagbearer of Social Democratic Party of Nigeria, Adewole Adebayor called for a borderless Africa, where Africans can easily trade amongst themselves for economic development.
“Luckily for us, our cultural background and experiences under colonial power is the same, it is on the basis of this I will infuse Nigerian capital into it. And if you’re sustainable and come with a sustainable plan we can start with a modest contribution to this programme. On that basis we can work with this programme which we can support with One Million dollars,” he concluded.
The Programme organised by Women In Sustainability Africa (WiSA) was in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection, the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment, and Ministry of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, MASLOC, the League of Extraordinary Women Network, The UN Global Compact and EIB Network , among others.
A 29-year-old tricycle rider, Naah Mashood, has been sentenced to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour for defiling a three-year-old girl at Tiegber in the Wa Municipality.
The Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Upper West Regional Police Command arrested the suspect on February 24, 2026, following a complaint lodged by the victim’s mother.
According to police, the convict, who had been contracted by the parents to pick the victim to and from school, lured her to an isolated location on February 23, 2026, and sexually assaulted her inside his tricycle, popularly known as ‘Camboo’.
After thorough investigations, he was arraigned before the Wa District Magistrate Court and subsequently stood trial at the Wa High Court.
On October 30, 2026, His Lordship Justice Osei-Wusu found him guilty of defilement and sentenced him to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour.
The Upper West Regional Police Command has commended the officers involved in the investigation and prosecution, as well as all persons who contributed to ensuring justice was served.
The Command urged parents and guardians to keep a close eye on their children and ensure their safety at all times, and encouraged the public to report suspected cases of child abuse and defilement to the nearest police station or DOVVSU office for prompt action.
It further assured the public of its commitment to protecting children and ensuring perpetrators of sexual offences are brought to justice.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The Ashanti Regional Police Command has announced the arrest of three suspected members of a criminal syndicate believed to be behind a series of robberies targeting bank customers in Kumasi and its environs.
On October 31, 2026, at about 11:30 pm, an IGP’s Special Team, comprising personnel from the Anti-Armed Robbery Unit of the CID Headquarters and the Accra Regional Police Intelligence Directorate (PID), acting on intelligence, embarked on an operation to apprehend the suspects.
The operation led to the arrest of two Nigerian nationals, Aboy Promise, 30, and Favour Uwalaka, 45, at a hotel at Moshie Zongo. A search of their rooms resulted in the recovery of GH¢1,600.00, assorted mobile phones, a Royal motorbike and a master key used to gain unauthorized access to victims’ vehicles to steal cash.
During interrogation, the suspects admitted their involvement in the robberies and mentioned two accomplices, Chinedu, alias Alhaji, and Kingsley, alias KC.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the syndicate monitored banking premises, identified customers who withdrew substantial sums of money and trailed them before attacking and robbing them. They also broke into unattended vehicles belonging to bank customers using a master key to steal cash kept inside.
The suspects subsequently led the police team to another hotel at Dechemso, a suburb of Kumasi, where Kingsley, alias KC, 35, also a Nigerian national, was arrested.
The remaining accomplice, Chinedu, alias Alhaji, is currently on the run. The Command is appealing to the public to volunteer credible information that could lead to his arrest. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to report to the nearest police station or contact the police through emergency numbers 191, 112 or the toll-free MTN and Telecel line 18555.
The suspects admitted to robbing a victim of GH¢15,000.00 at Asokore Mampong on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, after the victim had withdrawn money from Kwamang Rural Bank. They also admitted to similar robberies at the Atonsu branch of Fidelity Bank, the Ahodwo branch of Access Bank and other locations within Kumasi and its environs.
The three arrested suspects have since been handed over to the Ashanti Regional Police Command and are assisting with investigations.
The Command has cautioned bank customers to remain vigilant, be alert to suspicious persons around banking premises and avoid leaving cash or other valuables unattended in vehicles, while commending the public for their continued cooperation and assuring residents of its commitment to combating robbery and other criminal activities in the region.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
