Tema, March 10, GNA – It is important for women, to give younger girls the opportunity to develop confidence; and exposure to enable them to hold boardroom positions, Madam Perpetual Osei-Bonsu, Executive Secretary, Ship Owners and Agents Association of Ghana (SOAAG) has said.
She said knowing this, and believing in building tough women, she has mentored one of her daughters, 25-years old Miss Akua Asantewa Owusu-Darko, a Project Manager for Engineers without Borders Canada, into greatness.
Madam Osei-Bonsu made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of the GNA Tema Industrial News Hub Dialogue which forms part of activities to commemorate the 2022 International Women’s Day.
The 2022 International Women’s Day is on the theme: “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow, recognising the contribution of women and girls around the world, who are leading the charge on climate change adaptation, mitigation, and response, to build a more sustainable future for all.”
She said women needed that concerted effort to build confidence, well exposed, tough, result-oriented, and well-groomed ladies who have the capacity to perform in corporate and political positions.
Madam Osei-Bonsu said: “It is up to us women to take up the challenge to push ourselves, it all starts with the training that the girl child is given, that exposure, and if the confidence is there, and you are well vested in your field, you can rub shoulders with the men, and we don’t have to be given some small quota just to pacify us.”
She stressed that “it’s not just like given a quota, oh let’s have a woman, I don’t think that should be the case, we should be able to have women who are well-groomed who have the capacity to perform, and they are going there because of the merit.
“Others see something in you, so if it happens that there are ten women who are qualified on a board of 12, why not it? adding that “it shouldn’t always be like sticking out one amid the lot, because it is just to give a face that women are part of the system, I don’t think that is right.”
On how she has been able to hold her position in a male-dominated field, she said she had never felt intimated as she had built her capacity before occupying the position.
She said: “I see the men as colleagues, and they also see me as such, I have had a very cordial relationship with my male colleagues, and I don’t feel intimidated.”
Academic and Work-life
Madam Osei-Bonsu had her secondary education at St Monica’s Senior High School, an all-girls school which she said helped shape her life and confidence, disclosing that “it enabled girls to come up with the best in them as there were no boys to intimidate them”.
She then obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) at the University of Ghana (UG), after which she proceeded to the Ghana School of Law, was later called to the Bar and worked at Azinyo Chambers as a young legal practitioner.
She told the GNA that she felt a little overwhelmed practising law, explaining that at the time they did not have much of attachment and practical as students making them have little exposure before practising.
She, therefore, jumped to an opportunity to work at the National Investment Bank (NIB) where she started as an officer and rose through the ranks to the managerial level before bowing out.
She said, on the sidelines of working at the legal department of the bank, she also run some side business and became the Secretary of the Greater Accra Chapter of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce.
As someone who have been handling maritime-related issues at the bank, as well as served as a representative for a UK based firm on its shipping related issues, she accepted the offer to become the Executive Secretary of SOAAG, a position she has held for years and described as a big eye-opener into the maritime sector.
Madam Osei-Bonsu has three offspring made up of a male and two females.
Daughter
Miss Akua Asantewa Owusu-Darko, is the last born of Madam Osei-Bonsu, she had her education at the African Leadership Academy in South Africa, and the University of Carlifonia, Berkely.
Miss Owusu-Darko also told the GNA that even though her mother didn’t put pressure on her to excel, she motivated her and supported her into greatness as she described her as a strong single mother who raised three kids.
“My mother never put pressure on me and that’s because she knew my strengths, she knew I was creative, and a go-getter, but I also think personally, I wanted to grow and therefore pushed myself too,” she said.
She noted that apart from pursuing her interest in real estate development, she has also been able to create an event centre, Asa’s Garden, as well as ventured into mentoring younger girls to strive to build their confidence and future.
She encouraged girls who might have become pregnant in their teenage years to put themselves together and build their lives back saying teenage pregnancy was not the end of the world and they could therefore make it in their chosen fields.
Miss Owusu-Darko added that “I want young ladies to be aware that unfortunately, sex has consequences that women tend to bear. If they choose to have sex, they should have sex for themselves, they should never be pressured to do so, if they do they should use protection.”
GNA