By Solomon Gumah
Tamale, July 31, GNA – Hajia Lamnatu Adam, Executive Director of Songtaba, emphasized the need to invest in young women’s leadership, describing it as vital to inclusive and sustainable development.
“It is time to invest in women’s empowerment. Young women deserve real seats at the table where policies are made. Their voices matter, and their leadership is critical to the transformation we all seek,” she said.
She made the remarks at a regional consultative forum to promote inclusive leadership and amplify the voices of young women across northern Ghana.
It was organised by Songtaba, a non-governmental organisation on the theme “Advancing Young Women’s Leadership for Change,”
The forum brought together young women leaders, civil society actors, persons with disabilities, and other development stakeholders.
It also marked the official closure of the Heard Everywhere and Represented Daily (HEARD) project, a one-year initiative funded by Norsaac and implemented in partnership with Songtaba, Civil Society and Institutional Foundation, NOYED-Ghana, RISE-Ghana, and Inspire to Act.
She highlighted how the HEARD project had provided safe spaces and opportunities for young women to engage in governance, while expressing concern over the underrepresentation of women in leadership noting that women currently make up only 14 percent of Ghana’s 9th Parliament.
Hajia Rabbi Ibrahim, a Senior Lecturer at the University for Development Studies, who delivered the keynote address, called for greater inclusion of young women in governance.
“Young women are not the future; they are the present. They are already leading in schools, communities, and movements — often without recognition or resources,” she noted.
Mr Abdul-Rahman Issah, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at Norsaac, reiterated the organisation’s commitment to launching a second phase of the HEARD project. He urged beneficiaries to serve as ambassadors of the initiative.
The forum featured a panel discussion, where women leaders shared their leadership journeys, the challenges they faced, and how they navigated male-dominated spaces.
Topics discussed included balancing leadership and family responsibilities, access to education, the need for continued support for rural women, and collective action to drive change.
Miss Muslimah Maligu Osman, School Prefect of Ghana Senior High School in Tamale, shared how the HEARD project inspired her to pursue a leadership role in a traditionally male-dominated environment. She expressed gratitude to Songtaba and its partners and called for the continuation of the project to uplift more women and girls.
GNA
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/Audrey Dekalu