Deputy A-G rallies support towards achieving gender equality

A Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Diana Asonaba Dapaah, has called on men to join forces with women in the pursuit of gender equality in the world of business. 

She said advocating gender equality required the collective efforts and support of all genders and not only women.

“This is not a competitive stance against women but a recognition of the peculiarities and importance of what both gender bring on board which can be fused to achieve the optimum for us as a people. 

“By dismantling gender norms and cultivating inclusiveness, we can shatter constraints of societal expectations and stereotypes towards a brighter future for everyone,” Ms Asonaba Dapaah added.

The deputy minister made the call at the third leadership conference of the Ghana Employers’ Association GEA) in Accra on Thursday, on the theme: “Breaking barriers: Women leading the charge in new frontiers”. 

It was attended by people in leadership positions, including women from various institutions who deliberated on issues, particularly policies that support the elevation of women to higher positions, while celebrating the progress made so far in advancing gender equality. 

As part of the conference, 65 women who completed their training in a flagship female future programme (FFP) also graduated. 

The programme, which was launched in 2019 with support from the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO), is a leadership and boardroom competency development event for women. 

It is aimed at increasing the percentage of women in decision making processes, addressing gender gap in top management, leadership and board positions and ensuring the full utilisation of female talents in organisations and companies

Barriers

The Deputy A-G further explained that in the past, women faced numerous barriers, including being limited to domestic roles, a situation which made it difficult for them to break the glass ceiling in the corporate world.

She, however, said the situation had now changed through various advocacy efforts. 

Ms Asonaba Dapaah said there was the need for women to also build their capacities, acquire knowledge and experiences to enable them to climb to the top. 

Commitment

The acting President of the Ghana Employers Association, Nana Dr Adu-Sarkodee Afriyie, said his outfit was committed to dismantle outstanding barriers and promote inclusiveness. 

Since 2019, he said the programme had helped to train and empower about 275 women to take up senior roles. 

He urged the participants to apply the knowledge and skills learnt to enhance their careers and support their organisations for the good of the nation.  

For her part, the Norwegian Ambassador to Ghana, Ingrid Mollestad, also urged the participants to continue to work together to ensure a future where there would be balanced participation in decision-making, and where women and men would have equal opportunities to contribute and lead.

She said the embassy’s vision was to expand the reach of the ‘female future programme’, connect alumnae across continents and foster a global network of empowered women leaders.