Celebrating women: Delta Air Lines inspires change and inclusion to empower women in Ghana

March is a special month with International Women’s Day and events that are devoted to celebrating the achievements of women and seeking gender equality.

Delta Air Lines came together with the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) and US Embassy Commercial Services to host over 70 professional women at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra under the theme, “Empowering Women: Leading Change for Ghana's Future”.

The accomplished women spanning multiple professional backgrounds including aviation, finance, law, communication, media, security, and even students were treated to high-level speakers, fun activities to drive discussion amongst attendees and valuable networking over a High Tea Reception. 

In her opening remarks, the General Manager, Delta Air Lines GSA Eloina Baddoo said, “I am proud to lead an all-female team at Delta – a decision that goes to show Delta’s stand on inclusivity within the company.” 

She emphasized that the decision to have women at the helm of the business was based on merit and competence, adding, “Re-writing the narrative and breaking through the glass ceiling is crucial to ensure more female representation in leadership roles in the workplace”. 

The main speaker for the event, Ayesha Bedwei Ibe, PwC Global People Leader -Tax and Legal Services shared her personal experience, and highlighted five points in which women could embrace change to support their careers.  

“We know change is a constant.   With that, we need to build on our skills, lean into creativity and innovation, our emotional intelligence, our support of each other and foster our desire to be better,” Ms Ibe advised.

She urged women not to be deterred by change but acquire skills from their experiences, to build resilience and prepare for the future ahead.

As part of the day’s activities, the women engaged in an exciting game of “myths busters” in which they worked in groups to brainstorm on how to debunk certain myths about women. 

The exercise brought to bear the many qualities that makes women unique and capable of breaking boundaries to achieve their goals. 

The groups shared interesting insights to motivate themselves and not give in to societal pressures. The “myths busters” game fostered collaboration and teamwork.

Contributing to the need for change in their personal and professional lives, a Commercial Officer with the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service Laurie Kelleher stressed on the importance of digital inclusion. 

She encouraged women to keep up with digital skills as they advanced in their careers, saying, “I am constantly re-training in IT to keep up with the latest developments so that I am able to deliver my best work.” 

Ms Kelleher added that women should not be afraid to progress in their careers as women leaders bring a vital perspective and voice on decision making and equally needed to develop strong boundaries. 

The event closed with Delta souvenirs for all guests in beautiful packages from ePac Flexible Packaging West Africa. 

The meeting was the second high profile event Delta has sponsored within the month of March to support women.  

Earlier in March, Delta hosted over 30 girls from South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana at a four-day event focused on developing the next generation of female leaders.   

The Leadership, Empowerment, Achievement, Development (LEAD) camp sought to empower the girls with essential skills needed to realize their dreams. 

Delta not only lives up to its nature of connecting people to places, but to opportunities too. 

Delta operates daily nonstop service from Accra to New York JFK and has been serving the Ghanaian market since 2006.