Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong
Women in Sustainability Africa (WiSA), has officially been launched to accelerate the closure of gender inequality gap.
Speaking at the launch, the convenor for Women in Sustainability Africa, Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong, said when God created the earth, He urged both men and women to be fruitful, take dominion and multiply.
“Gender inequality gap could not be closed given commandment by God for man to be fruitful and take dominion on earth during creation,” she stated.
She said to help close gender inequality gap, there should be deliberate efforts by society, especially women, to achieve that goal.
She, therefore, highlighted the need for women and men to unite and support gender empowerment in all sectors of the country.
She said, “This is the new beginning of gender empowerment and the new wave which must be propagated across Africa without any antagonism.”
“It is an African agenda we need to stand together, there is strength in numbers. The door of success we seek to enter as women, the men are holding the keys to the room; if you fight with them how do we enter the room?” she quizzed.
She also called on governments to invest in women, to enable them become more productive given how they could achieve more when supported.
Madam Sarpong added that the organisation will also work with civil society organisations (CSOs), corporate bodies, local and international development organisations among others to support women groups, aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, for her part, said to help recognise the proportionate impact of climate change on women, the ministry has developed a roadmap to strengthen the gender responsiveness of social protection programmes.
According to her, the initiatives are aimed at ensuring that their interventions are inclusive, equitable and effective in building resilience among vulnerable populations.
She disclosed that in partnership with WiSA and other stakeholders, the ministry will work towards using the campaign to recognise women as sources of labour and agents of sustainability.