2023 In retrospect II

The Gender Desk brings to you the 2nd and final part of 2023 in retrospect to highlight some of the stories that were published within the year.

July TUC launches gender transformative training manual

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) Ghana launched a Gender Transformative Training Manual to facilitate a more gender responsive trade union education and awareness among its members.

Launched in partnership with the Lo-Norway, the 47-paged manual will serve as a gender transformative tool to influence individual and collective reforms towards gender equality within the labour movement.

The launch also paved the way for members of the TUC to discuss ways in which the congress could create a gender balance and bridge all gender gaps.

LEAP beneficiaries receive increased allowances

Beneficiaries of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Programme across the country started enjoying a 100 per cent increment of their allowances.

With the upward adjustment, households with one-member household which received GH¢64.00 now receive GH¢128.00 while two-member households would now receive GH¢152 instead of the previous GH¢76.

Three-member households will get GH¢178 instead of GH¢88.00 and four or more member-households will be paid GH¢212.00 instead of the previous GH¢106.00.

As part of measures to ensure the successful disbursement of the grants, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Lariba Zuweira Abudu, toured some disbursement centres in the West Mamprusi Municipal in the North East Region.

August Economic justice for rural women project starts

A project to promote economic justice for women in rural communities in Ghana and Benin commenced in August last year.

The project targeted women farmers, opinion leaders, traditional and religious leaders, decision makers, policy implementers at the district, regional and national levels and financial institutions.

The two-year project, funded by the African Women Development Fund (AWDF), is aimed at addressing the economic inequality gaps that affect women farmers' access and control over agricultural resources.

September Scrap cultural norms

The Bono Regional Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) organised a community forum at Njau in the Tain District as part of measures to eliminate gaps hindering women from venturing into commercial farming.

Funded by the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI), the aim of the forum was to scrap outmoded socio-cultural practices and other barriers that prevented women from venturing into large-scale farming.

260 ‘Kayayei’ returnees equipped with entrepreneurial skills, start-up kits

Two hundred and sixty young female ‘Kayayei’ returnees in the West Mamprusi Municipality in the North East Region were equipped with entrepreneurial skills and start-up kits to enable them to create decent jobs and generate income for themselves.

The beneficiaries were trained in electrical works, tiling, weaving, make-up, hairdressing, fashion design, bead making, soap making, among others.

Initiated by the Catholic Relief Service (CRS) under its Providing Livelihood Opportunities and Support for Kayayei Porters (KAYAPORT) Project, the intervention sought to empower the young females and prevent them from travelling to the south in search of non-existing opportunities.

The beneficiaries were selected from communities in the municipality where there is a high rate of rural-urban migration.

The three-year project is jointly implemented by the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic Diocese (NABOCADO) with a funding of $334,446.12.

October Political parties to champion passage of Affirmative Action Bill

Political parties in the country have been advised to help champion the passage of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Bill to ensure an equal representation of women in all sectors of the country.

The Convenor of the Affirmative Action Bill Coalition, Sheila Minkah-Premo, who gave the advice noted that Ghana's current representation of women in key decision making spaces showed that women had been marginalised.

November Patience Quaye anti-human trafficking champion honoured in the USA

Patience Ashorkor Quaye, Assistant Commissioner of Police (retd) was recognised for her role in combatting human trafficking and gender-based violence by the End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI), a non-governmental organisation based in Washington in the United States of America (USA).

In a citation, the NGO said it recognised Mrs Quaye as a resolute Champion of Change in the country.

It said her pivotal role in establishing and leading the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service (GPS), along with serving in key positions at INTERPOL and the Ghana Police Academy, had cemented her as a trailblazer in West Africa's fight against human trafficking.

Affirmative Action Bill submitted to Parliament again

Cabinet approved the Affirmative Action Bill and subsequently submitted it to Parliament for consideration under a certificate of urgency.

The Affirmative Action Bill seeks to promote women’s participation and representation in decision-making spaces. The bill has already been to Parliament three times.

The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), Lariba Zuweira Abudu, who announced the approval, said it was given on September 29, 2023.

December 70 Women graduate from Rebecca Foundation training

The Rebecca Foundation, in partnership with the KGL Foundation, trained and graduated 70 women in vocational skills in the Greater Accra Region.

It is part of the Terema Initiative by the Rebecca Foundation which empowers women economically by giving them employable skills through training.

The beneficiaries were also given basic financial and business management training.

During their passing out ceremony, the beneficiaries were given start-up kits such as ovens, bags of sugar, margarine, gallons of oil, eggs and gas cylinders for those trained in bakery, while those trained in soap making were given soap-making kits and cash to start their businesses.

Forum on Affirmative Action Bill held in Bolgatanga

A two-day northern sector consultative forum on the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill was held in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.

It was organised by the Widows and Orphans Movement (WOM) in partnership with the Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT), Women in Law and Development (WILDAF) and the Affirmative Action Bill Coalition.

The forum formed part of the joint advocacy initiative under the Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL) project, with funding from Plan International Ghana under the WVL grant funded by Global Affairs Canada.

The participants, numbering 50, were drawn from the Northern, Upper West, Savanna, North-East and Upper East regions.