Madam Elizabeth Ohene
The Ghana Employers’ Association (GEA) held its second Annual Leadership Conference (ALC) at the Labadi Beach Hotel on Thursday, May 11, 2023, and graduated 83 participants from the Female Future Programme (FFP).
The Chairperson for the occasion was Madam Elizabeth Ohene, a seasoned Journalist, Columnist and the Board Chair of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).
In her opening remarks, the BBC writer and former Minister of State at the Office of the President and Minister of Education said women play critical role in the society and therefore must be involved in decision-making at all levels.
In his welcome address, the President of GEA, Mr. Dan Acheampong said, according to the 2021 Population and Housing Census and the 7th round of the Ghana Living Standards Survey reports, most formal sector women are found in services and sales roles in their organisations whilst the core management, professional and technical roles are dominated by men. “This means that the parties to decision-making at the apex level in our respective organisations are not balanced, a worrying trend which is making us lose valuable inputs from our cherished women who form the majority in society,” he added.
Speaking on the theme, the guest speaker for the Conference, Mr. John Kofi Adomakoh, Managing Director of GCB Bank Plc, narrated to the participants some of the barriers that challenge women in rising to their full potential. He said, limited access to education and training, underrepresentation and lack of role models, lack of supportive policies and structures, cultural and societal norms as well as gender stereotypes and bias are some of the barriers hampering women in decision-making.
The GCB Bank boss suggested some useful ways to break the barriers, which include: education and awareness, mentorship, policy changes and strengthening collaboration as well as recognising and celebrating women’s achievements. He commended GEA for leading the call to increase the percentage of women in decision-making roles and addressing gender gaps in leadership and board positions.
Speaking to the media at the Conference, the Chief Executive Officer of GEA, Mr. Alex Frimpong indicated that, the ALC is an integral part of the Association’s flagship FFP, which was first organised in 2022, graduating 65 participants from Cohorts 1 and 2. This year’s edition of the ALC graduated 83 females from Cohorts 3 and 4.
The FFP Ghana was launched in 2019 by GEA in collaboration with the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO), to bridge the gender gap at topic leadership positions. The programme consists of three modules, namely: Leadership Development, Rhetoric and Board Competence aimed at ensuring the full utilisation of female talents in organisations. The programme which is a brain child of the NHO is also replicated in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Tunisia.
During the panel discussion under the theme “Power Within: Leveraging Corporate Networks for Female Leadership Development”, Mrs. Freda Duplan, Board Chair, Zenith Bank Ghana Limited, Mr. Michael Bozumbil, CEO of Petrosol Ghana Limited and Ms. Thelma Tawiah, Partner, Keystone Solicitors, digested the topic to the admiration of the participants. The panelists used the platform to showcase how females can use networking to enhance their career development.