By Pricilla Obour
Kumasi Oct. 09, GNA – Dr Thomas Mensah Abobi, Chief Manager, Finance, at Ghana Water Limited (GWL), has stressed the need for women to lead the crusade in the protection of water resources in the country.
He said women must not only be the beneficiaries of water, but architects of the future of water resources.
Dr Abobi, therefore, charged members of the Water Ladies Association, the female staff of the GWL, to lead the campaign to educate women on the need to protect and safeguard water resources in their communities.
Addressing members of the Association at their delegates’ conference in Kumasi, Dr Abobi issued a strong warning of the activities of illegal mining on water resources.
He said galamsey was heavily polluting raw water sources, increasing the cost of chemical used in treating water and thereby, threatening the sustainability of water treatment plants.
Dr Abobi commended the lady staff of the company for working hard and sustaining the activities of the company to provide potable water to Ghanaians.
He urged the association to serve as professional network and leadership pipeline to mentor young women into engineering, finance, ICT and Operations.
Lady Hannan A.A Mumin, National President of the Association, reaffirmed the commitment of the ladies to improving sanitation and promoting gender parity in the water sector.
The conference, which was on the theme “Water and Gender: Where Water Flows, Equality Grows”, brought together delegates from all sixteen regions, top management of GWL, and sister organisations.
Lady Mumin, highlighted the Association’s ongoing water and sanitation intervention at Bamang Junior High School in the Ashanti Region.
According to her, members have voluntarily contributed to building a urinal block, refurbishing toilet facilities and constructing a mechanized borehole with water storage facilities for the school.
She said the intervention was aimed at improving Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) for pupils, especially girls.
Surveyor Perpetual Asomani, Chief Manager, Land & Estate, of the company, called on GWL management to embed gender integration into its core values and systems.
She noted that current statistics do not show parity and urged management to integrate gender into budgets, projects, and HR policies.
She also advised younger female staff to seek challenging assignments and take ownership of their professional growth.
GNA
Edited by Kwabia Owusu-Mensah/Kenneth Odeng Adade