International Women’s Day: Women groups salute women

Saturday, March 8, was celebrated as International Women’s Day (IWD) and the Association of Women in the Media (ASWIM), together with the Zonta Club of Accra II, joined the global community in reaffirming its commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment. 

This year’s theme: “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment”, the groups said the day reminded them that the future they envisioned depended on ensuring that every woman and girl could realise their full potential.

In a statement signed by the President of ASWIM, Mavis Kitcher, it said Ghana’s 2021 Population and Housing Census showed that women made up 50.7 per cent of the country’s total population, with a significant number being girls and young women under 35.

That, it said, underscored the urgent need for deliberate investments in their education, skills development and protection from harmful practices. 

The group called for the full enforcement of the Affirmative Action Law, which, it said, was essential for increasing women’s participation in leadership and decision-making roles.

It added that while Ghana had made commendable progress, prioritising the law’s implementation would ensure that women had equal opportunities in politics, governance and economic leadership.

The group said a commitment to achieving at least 40 per cent representation of women in political, public and private sector leadership would go a long way in correcting historical imbalances.

Institutions must also create fair employment policies that promote the recruitment, retention and advancement of women.

“Expanding girls’ access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), education is vital for Ghana’s socio-economic transformation.

As economies become more tech-driven, ensuring gender inclusion in STEM is crucial.

Scholarships, mentorships and hands-on digital training can bridge the gap, while gender-inclusive policies in schools will encourage more girls to pursue STEM careers.

This investment will build a skilled workforce, drive innovation and boost national competitiveness,” the group said.

“As Ghana commemorates International Women’s Day this year, the country also celebrates a historic milestone—the appointment of its first female Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang.

Her achievement is a testament to the boundless potential of women when given equal opportunities.”

Zonta Club II

In a related development, the Zonta Club of Accra II said the call to advance women's rights has raged on for decades in Ghana.

Though some sensitisation has gone on, laws passed and achievements made, there was room for a lot more to be done to see more women at the decision-making level.

It said some might ask, "Where are the women?". It is time to translate lip service into reality with a time frame as a measuring tool.

“We cried for equality, we called for breaking the glass ceiling and representation at the decision-making table, we fought for legislation, but after countless decades the tables still lack women in their numbers and the glass ceiling remains a crack,” it said.

The club called for the formation or reactivation of women's associations at institutions and women's professional groupings with the clear-cut objective to move women up the decision-making ladder.

“We are in a good place with the Affirmative Action Act now a law, but we need to see it being implemented and to familiarise ourselves with its tenets and call for clarification where necessary,” it said.

The group added that there was a need to set up the Gender Equity Committee envisaged by the new law for a body to see to the implementation of the law that would identify the gaps and prepare our women to fill roles for which they qualified. 

“Let us Focus on the objective of why we need to urgently move up, while being Intentional and Resolute in our actions and with Speed we can make Tangible our objectives. (FIRST),” it said.

“As ZONTA GHANA, we shall continue with our ZONTA GIRLS EDUCATION PROJECT, paying attention to STEM,” it added.

In observation of ZONTA ROSE DAY, which coincides with IWD annually, we congratulate the women who worked tirelessly to ensure the development of the Affirmative Action Bill and its subsequent passage into law last year.