Samira Bawumia, Second Lady
Second Lady, Samira Bawumia, has highlighted the importance of women to the development of the country.
Speaking at the Ghana Union of Technical Students (GNUTS) 7th annual women's conference under the theme: "The role of women in ensuring sustainable development in Ghana and beyond," she encouraged Ghanaians “to work together to inspire and empower each and every woman to find her voice and claim her space in her community, nation, and the world”.
UN Women, a UN organisation dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women states that women could contribute much more if given equal resources.
For instance, the Food and Drugs Organisation (FAO), estimates that if women farmers (43 per cent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries) had the same access as men, agricultural output in 34 developing countries would rise by an estimated average of up to four per cent. This could reduce the number of undernourished people in those countries by as much as 17 per cent, translating to up to 150 million fewer hungry people.
Women also play important roles as caretakers, educators and volunteers. The median female share of the global workforce is 45.4 percent, according to Global Volunteers, an NGO which assembles teams of short-term volunteers on long-term programmes to create, nurture and sustain the wellbeing of the children.