President lauds women’s contribution to independence struggle

She, however, said more women needed to be appointed to ministerial, deputy ministerial and boards of companies so that they could contribute their quota to the socio-economic development of the country.

She also called for more women to be encouraged to contest in parliamentary elections, saying that although the country had made history with the current number of 30 women in parliament, more needed to be done to increase the number.

Expressing her impression at the level of participation of women at this year’s parade, she said she was impressed by their level of participation.

A number of women from all walks of life attended the 56th Independent Day celebration held at the Independent Square in Accra, dressed in beautiful apparels from kente to traditional kaba and slits, among others.

In the President’s speech to commemorate the occasion, he commended the millions of men and women who had sacrificed themselves for the nation, saying “today, we remember those millions, all of the founding fathers and mothers who organised and sacrificed; the millions of brave men and women who fought and died to give this country, and indeed all of Africa, freedom from colonial domination and repression. Some of them have been recognised; their names and faces are on our monuments and on our money. A greater number will most likely remain nameless and faceless.

“But the people that made up those millions, those men and women were our grandfathers and grandmothers, our uncles and aunts, our mothers and fathers, our sisters and brothers. It is because of the courage, self-determination and dignity they displayed that we stand here today, on this occasion, the celebration of Ghana’s 56th year as an independent nation.

“We praise the ex-servicemen, the miners, the factory workers, the civil servants, the artisans, the market women, the farmers and the students who dared to believe that a better world was not only possible but that  was within reach and worth fighting for.

Our forefathers and mothers fought for our independence in order to use the wealth of our nation, its impressive store of human resources, its abundant natural resources, its royal cultural history; not for the benefit of any one person or group of people representing just the few, but for the betterment of the many, of our entire nation, especially our children and grandchildren and those yet unborn.

It would be simple enough to acknowledge on this day of celebration that they bequeathed to us this lovely country and in so doing, also offered us an important place in world history. But the legacy is more sacred than that. We are, each and every one of us, the answer to the hopes and prayers of our forefathers and mothers. They wanted Ghana to succeed, and I am all but certain, they prayed that we would make it a nation whose place of greatness in the world would be timeless and meaningful, not temporary and mediocre”, the president said.

The Minister for Health, Ms Sherry Ayittey, commended the government for its strong commitment to ensuring that more women entered leadership positions in the country.

She said the appointment of women into positions in the present administration attested to the fact that the NDC government was committed to the welfare of women

According to her, the opportunities given to women to participate in the decision-making process of the country formed part of national development and commended the women who put up performances at the independence parade.

Ms Ayittey said women in Ghana had potentials and bright future, and called for such qualities to be tapped for national development.

The Founder and Leader of Ghana Freedom Party, Madam Akua Donkor, who is noted for wearing kente at all occasions, was also present at the ceremony and said she was happy for the prominence that the government had given to the celebration of the country’s independent anniversary, saying that it would project the country into a better limelight after the just ended elections.

She asked for better conditions of service for the security service in the country, saying that they had been impressive in their work over the years, especially females in the service.

Madam Donkor also called on the government to ensure that children in the country were given better care by giving them more social intervention programmes that would enable them to attain higher heights in their education.

She commended the government for appointing more women into decision making positions, adding that it showed the government’s commitment to women empowerment.

An Environmentalist, Madam Afia Serwaa, for her part said there was the need for the government to appoint more women to be part of the governance process.

According to her, as an environmentalist, she was more concerned about the insanitary condition of the country’s market places and other public places, saying that a woman would be in a better position to ensure that the insanitary conditions were all solved.

Nominating herself as the best candidate for a Deputy Minister of Environment, Madam Serwaa commended all the women who had toiled for the country, saying the contribution of women to national development could not be overlooked.

Story by Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho