Network launched to empower, support women
The Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Communications Africa Limited (STRATCOMM AFRICA), Ms Esther Cobbah, has launched a network that will provide a platform to inspire, empower and support women in executive positions to help build capacities of other women to be successful and influential both at the local and international levels.
Dubbed: “Executive Women’s Network (EWN),” the network, founded by six women in executive positions, is also to help women grow their professional skills and build important networks that will positively impact on their lives.
The founders are Ms Maidie Arkutu, Managing Director of Unilever Ghana, Ms Freda Duplan, Managing Director, Nestle Ghana Limited; Ms Patience Akyianu, Managing Director, Barclays Ghana Limited; Ms Edith Dankwa, Managing Director, Business and Financial Times; Ms Lucy Quist, Managing Director, Airtel Ghana Limited and Ms Pearl Esua-Mensah, Founder and Managing Director of Feniks Limited.
Driving policy changes
It also aims to influence and drive policy changes that seek to increase the representation of women in senior leadership positions in the country, while promoting women’s rights in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 5) Five, which relates to gender equality and empowerment for all women and girls.
More than 150 businesswomen operating in various sectors of the economy also came together to support the launch of the network in Accra on Tuesday.
At the launch, Ms Cobbah said the formation of the EWN singled out the fact that women could draw on the experience and knowledge of one another to grow together and excel in whatever sphere they operated.
She said just by having a platform to share experiences and interact with one another, the membership of the EWN would benefit from, strengthen and support one another.
She said women around the globe now sought to pursue both professional careers and also take care of their family and therefore, it was important for the network to develop practical ways to make it easier for women in Ghana to combine work outside their home and ensure a living and well-organised environment.
Ms Cobbah also urged them to pay particular attention to how women entrepreneurs in the marketplaces and in local industries could be assisted with financing and other tools to grow their business.
“Above all I see the EWN as a showcasing of women and as models of leadership with integrity. I see it helping women to liberate their minds and release new and positive energy into our national situation,” she added.
Purpose of network
Giving a detailed explanation to the purpose of the network at the launch, Ms Arkutu said members deliberately chose the word network over an association because networking was not a thing to have when one was in business but a necessity for business growth and career advancement.
Therefore, it would provide a structured programme to facilitate the network of women so they could be able to plan and network properly while embarking on capacity-building initiatives to empower women to negotiate their way to success.
“They would also have increased effectiveness in becoming an authentic leader, and have greater leadership skills and styles to deploy under different circumstances,” she said.
Aside from empowering women at the workplace, Ms Arkutu said members of the network also believed in the institution of family and in order to support that institution, women would be encouraged to strive for their career aspirations while balancing their work at home for “a happy woman builds a happy home”.
Therefore, the network would discuss some topics such as “Work Life Balance”, and “Can You Have It All”, as a way of supporting one another to be successful not only in the office but also at home.
“By not having a diverse team, you are limiting the growth and potential of your organisation. Therefore, we dare to say that the more women we have in leadership teams and boards in Ghana, the better the businesses will perform and the stronger the economy would be, ”she said.
Stop social injustice
In a solidarity message, the Managing Director of Graphic Communications Group Limited, Mr Kenneth Ashigbey, said every man was guilty of social injustice against women as they had practically monopolised leadership both in the traditional and national setting, and used it to build a society where the odds were against women.
That, he said, had forced women into making sacrifices they would never have made naturally, and that kept them at a disadvantaged position in almost every facet of society.
Mr Ashigbey, therefore, appealed to members of the network to be role models for young females and fight the cause of women for total liberation.
The Deputy Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection and Member of Parliament for Kpando, Mrs Della Sowah, described the launch of the network as very important to the ministry, as it provided the opportunity to identify social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women in the country.
“We support the establishment of networks of varying women groups as the main mechanism to reach women especially at the local level, ”she said.
