The First Lady of Ghana, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has called for more urgency in taking action to ensure that women are truly given equal opportunities in an equitable manner.
The First Lady was speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly during the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) meeting held in New York on September 24, 2024.
Mrs. Akufo-Addo praised the work that her sister first ladies are doing in their respective countries and across Africa via the unified gender campaign themed ‘We are Equal’.
The campaign has since seen a more concerted effort on advocacy on education, health, economic empowerment and an end to gender-based violence by first ladies across the continent. Ghana launched its campaign in August 2023.
The Ghana campaign expanded existing efforts by the Rebecca Foundation to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes for women and children.
It also expanded the numbers of school libraries under the “Learning to read, reading to learn” initiative to improve literacy in children, increased access to more girls under the “Because I want to be” initiative, which empowers and informs adolescent girls via a nationwide mentorship TV programme to stay in school until at least after senior high school (SHS).
It also empowered more women economically with skills, start-up kits and funds to improve their livelihoods and ability to earn a living for themselves and their families.
Mrs. Akufo-Addo pledged to carry on the work she has done for the past seven and a half years on championing the wellbeing of women and children in Ghana.
As her term of office comes to an end in January 2025, the First Lady said her final goodbye to OAFLAD and encouraged them to continue with the good work of advocacy for a more equal Africa for women and girls on the continent.
The First Lady of Ghana along with her sister first ladies received awards in recognition of the effort and work they have put in the ‘We are Equal’ unified gender campaign.
The awards were handed over by the First Lady of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mrs. Denise Tshisekedi, who is the Vice President of OAFLAD.