Accra, Sept. 29, GNA – Madam Josephine Oppong-Yeboah, a gender advocate, has commended President John Dramani Mahama for urging global leaders to prioritise the protection and empowerment of women and girls.
“It was soothing hearing an African leader urging global leaders to prioritise the protection of women and girls,” Madam Oppong-Yeboah said.
She was commenting on the President’s address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York last week.
Madam Oppong-Yeboah said leaders, particularly those in Africa, often sidelined women’s rights whenever there were leadership positions.
The gender advocate said President Mahama was spot on to have underscored the urgency of gender equality, saying “true development is impossible without it”.
“For the sake of Africa, and quite selfishly, for the sake of my 18-year-old daughter, I hope this new world that is arriving is a place of safety and equality for women and girls,” he said.
“To succeed, we must empower everyone, including women and girls, to reach their full potential. Now every Ghanaian girl knows the heights to which she can ascend.”
She commended the President for proposing to the UN to consider appointing its first female Secretary-General, stressing that “words matter, but issues of representation matter even more.”
Highlighting Ghana’s progress, she said the country had recently appointed its first female vice president, a milestone he said would inspire young girls to aspire to leadership roles.
Madam Oppong-Yeboah described Mahama’s remarks as “highly motivating,” saying they reinforced the importance of building a just and inclusive world for women and girls.
GNA
Christian Akorlie