Omanghana
Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has called for sustained institutional action to address obstacles preventing women from accessing leadership positions and economic opportunities in Ghana.
Speaking at the inaugural Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences Women’s Awards in Accra, she said celebrating women’s achievements must be accompanied by practical support to help others progress. The ceremony was held under the theme “Breaking Barriers and Building Nations: Celebrating Women in Outstanding Leadership in Ghana.
The Vice President noted that women had contributed to agriculture, trade, healthcare and community leadership long before gaining wider access to formal education and public office. Many of those contributions, she said, had received little recognition.
Although education has expanded opportunities, she observed that access to finance, career progression and decision-making remained significant challenges.
She highlighted government measures including the Affirmative Action Act, the revised National Gender Policy and plans for a Women’s Development Bank.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang also encouraged the Academy to recognise women in rural communities whose work often escapes national attention, stressing that advances in senior leadership should translate into opportunities at the grassroots.
