First Lady calls for urgency in giving women equal opportunities

The First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has called for more urgency in taking action to ensure that women are truly given equal opportunities. 

This, she said, would help empower women to be able to contribute to decision-making for the overall development of their various countries.

The First Lady was speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) during the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) meeting held in New York last week.

Mrs Akufo-Addo praised the work that her sister First Ladies were doing in their respective countries and across Africa through the Unified Gender Campaign themed: “We Are Equal”.

The campaign has since seen a more concerted effort on advocacy on education, health, economic empowerment and an end to gender-based violence by First Ladies across the continent.

Ghana launched its campaign in August 2023.

The Ghana campaign expanded existing efforts by the Rebecca Foundation to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes for women and children.

It also expanded the number of school libraries under the “Learning to read, reading to learn” Initiative to improve literacy in children, increase access to more girls under the “Because I want to be” Initiative which empowers and informs adolescent girls via a nationwide mentorship TV programme to stay in school until at least after senior high school.

The initiative also helps to economically empower more women with skills, start-up kits and funds to improve their livelihoods and ability to earn a living for themselves and their families.

Well-being of women

Mrs Akufo-Addo pledged to carry on the work she has done for the past seven and a half years in championing the well-being of women and children in the country.

As her term of office comes to an end in January 2025, the First Lady said her final goodbye to OAFLAD and encouraged them to continue with the good work of advocacy for a more equal Africa for women and girls on the continent.

The First Lady, together with other First Ladies, received awards in recognition of the effort and work they have put in the “We are Equal” unified gender campaign. 

The awards were handed over by the First Lady of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Denise Tshisekedi, who is the Vice-President of OAFLAD.

Attending the meeting were First Ladies from Angola, Botswana, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania.

Others were First Ladies from Suriname and Paraguay who gave goodwill messages focused on improving women’s rights across the globe for a more balanced and developed world.