Women in Planning congratulate Vice President

By Christopher Tetteh

Sunyani, (Bono), Jan. 29, GNA – Women in Physical Development Planning have congratulated Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang on her election as the first female Vice President in the political history of the country.

They encouraged the Vice President to remain at the forefront of tackling the nation’s long standing gender equity gap that existed in all the sectors of the economy, with planning and sustainable human settlement in particular.

In separate interviews with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the women planners described the Vice President’s election as a historic milestone that would inspire more women to climb higher in their career lives.

Mrs Gifty Nyarko, the Sunyani Zonal Secretary of the Ghana Institute of Planners, said she had confidence in the Vice President, and was optimistic that her leadership would empower more women occupying enviable positions both in politics and secular lives too.

“The Vice President serves as a trailblazer for women in leadership positions and her career success is a classic example for some of us to strive and make impacts in society”, she stated, hoping that Prof Opoku-Agyemang would prioritize initiatives that fostered gender equity in planning and sustainable human settlements.

“We also expect her office to take the lead in ensuring equitable access to land for women and help remove barriers to land ownership and documentation in the country”, Mrs Nyarko stated.

She also called for policies that guaranteed women’s rights to land access, a critical step towards their economic empowerment.

Madam Antonia Ayamga, the Sunyani Zonal Organiser of the GIP also told the GNA the women in planning anticipated that the Vice President tackled discriminatory legal frameworks, cultural biases and financial barriers.

Those were some of the critical challenges preventing many women from purchasing, inheriting and owning land.

Mad Ayamga expressed worry that the lack of proper documentation and land title deeds disproportionately affected women and thereby making it difficult for them to claim ownership and use the land as collateral for loans or development.

GNA