Project to promote leadership among young women launched in Central Region

A project dubbed: "She Leads" has been launched to promote leadership among girls and young women in the Central Region.

It is being implemented by Women Aspire Network (WAN), a young women-led Non-Governmental organization.

The "She Leads project" is a strategic partnership between Terre des Hommes, Plan International, Defense for Children, African Women's Development and Communication Network with funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.

The five-year project would target young women between the ages of 10 and 30 years, support and empower them to actively participate in decision making at the family, community, Regional and National levels.

Speaking at the launch, Ms Sally Lariba, Programmes Manager of WAN indicated that the NGO existed to support, empower and advocate for women and children’s rights in Ghana and Africa.

She noted that women were often not given the platform to share their views, adding that the project would support, empower and advocate for women and children’s rights in Ghana and Africa.

She further stressed that the "She Leads project" would tackle the social constructs and perceptions as well as social norms that have relegated girls and young women to the back, especially in the rural areas.

She noted with regret that Ghana's Parliament could only boast of 40 female Parliamentarians out of the 275 seats and said more ought to be done to encourage women to take up leadership positions.

Ms Angela Nhyira Kwabi, Project Officer of WAN believed that the "She Leads project" would alter attitudes and perceptions against girls and young women's participation in decision making at home, community and national levels.

She called on parents and families, traditional and religious leaders to promote positive gender norms to increase civic spaces for girls and young women and create the enabling environment for them to actively participate in leadership and decision making at the family, school, community sub-national and national levels.

Ms Kwabi further called for the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into law to ensure that both men and women had equal capacities to access equal opportunities.

She was optimistic that a significant number of women would be involved in leadership positions at the end of the project.

Mrs Richlove Amamoo, Regional Director of the Department of Gender said it was not proper for young girls who were the future leaders to continue to suffer dehumanizing practices such as child marriage, defilement, sexual abuse and other harmful practices.

In that regard, she said the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) remained committed to adopting vigorous policies and Programmes to overcome gender inequality and women's empowerment.

Nana Akua Apeatsewa II, Queen Mother of Abura Nyomoa who chaired the event lauded the project and pledged the support of Queen mothers in the Region towards its successful implementation.

She implored the government to absorb the cost of medical examination of sexual abuse victims, which she noted often deterred families from pursuing them to the latter.

The participants at the event including Queen mothers, religious leaders, boys/men led organizations as well as girls and young women organizations described the project as apt and said it would complement the fight against teenage pregnancy in the Central Region.