Female Vodafone Staff
Vodafone Ghana has marked the International Women’s Day (IWD), by reflecting on the progress made towards gender equity and taking action to accelerate the process.
Vodafone Ghana in a statement said the theme, “embrace equity,” emphasises the importance of making gender equity an integral part of every society and promoting its benefits across all sectors.
The telecom said it has through its inclusion for all pillar ensured that everyone has access to the benefits of digitalisation by prioritising access to connectivity, digital skills, and introducing meaningful products and services.
“It starts with intentional actions that make our workplace more inclusive and comfortable for our female executives,” said Hannah Ashiokai Akrong, Vodafone Ghana’s director of human resources. “Seventy percent of our executive committee is represented by women. We have targets to recruit more women in departments that typically have a significant male presence. We also designate parking spaces for expecting mothers, offer four months parental leave, and have dedicated spaces in our offices for breastfeeding mothers,” she said.
She also mentioned Vodafone Ghana’s reconnect programme which makes it easy for female professionals to get back into the workforce after taking a break.
Vodafone Ghana has also implemented several initiatives to encourage stem participation in females including the girl’s camp, code-like-a-girl initiative, Vodafone’s female engineering students scholarship program (FESSP), and the women mentoring group.
She said Vodafone Ghana has also supported external programs aimed at empowering women and girls, partnering with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to empower 1,500 women in the informal sector with digital and financial skills.
“By providing opportunities for women to develop their skills and creating a supportive work environment, vodafone ghana is working towards creating a digital society accessible to everyone,” she said.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri