This year’s International Women’s Day, 8th March, has come and gone. In Ghana, the Day was celebrated, among other things, with the organisation of an Awards Dinner within the context of the Ghana Women of Excellence Awards Scheme.
The Ghana Women of Excellence Ceremony is organised by Top Brass Ghana under the auspices of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.
Instituted under the theme: “Empowering the Ghanaian Woman for National Development”, the objective of the Awards Scheme is to celebrate the achievements of Ghanaian Women and to set up the illustrious Award Winners as role models for the younger generation.
The very selective Awards Scheme honoured 15 (fifteen) deserving Ghanaian women at this year’s Awards Dinner.
Among the meritorious Award Winners were: Ms. Patricia Adusei-Poku (Executive Director, Data Protection Commission); Mad. Afi Amoro (Chief Executive, Jandel Limited, Event Planning and Management); Prof. Aba Bentil Andam (first female President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences); Dr. Leticia Adelaide Appiah (Executive Director, National Population Council) and Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson (first female Vice-Chancellor, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology).
Other Award Winners were: Mrs. Efua Ghartey (Chairperson, World Vision Ghana); Mrs. Mavis Kitcher (first female Director of News, Graphic Communications Group Limited); Francisca Oteng Mensah (youngest ever Member of Parliament); Mrs. Victoria Afua Norgbey (National President, Women in Poultry Value Chain) and Mrs. Sandra Opoku (first female Director of Port of Tema).
The rest were: Mrs. Barbara Oteng-Gyasi (Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture/2019 The Year of Return); Mrs. Constance Phyllis Puttick (first female Chairperson of a Rural Bank); Mrs. Charity Anima Sackitey (first female Managing Director of cocoa processor Barry Callebaut Ghana); Mrs. Theresa Yamson (first female Chief Executive, Phyto-Riker (GIHOC) Pharmaceuticals Limited) and Prof. Nana-Akyaa Yao (Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana’s first female Paediatic Oncologist).
The impressive ceremony which observed all the Covid-19 Safety Protocols was presided over by Ing. Mrs. May Obiri-Yeboah, Chief Executive of the National Road Safety Commission who herself is a proud past Ghana Women of Excellence Awards Winner. The keynote address was delivered by Nana (Dr.) Baa Wiredu, a former Consultant of the World Tourism Organisation.
Ing. Obiri-Yeboah in her opening remarks commended the distinguished Award winners for their achievements which have earned them the coveted Ghana Women of Excellence Awards and urged Ghanaian women to always pursue magnificence.
On the other hand, Nana Baa Wiredu noted that the 4th Republican Constitution mandated His Excellency the President to nominate 30% of the membership of the Council of State as well as of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDA’s).
The Director of Top Brass Ghana, Mr. Isaac Dakwa observed that this year 2021, marks the 10th anniversary of the Ghana Women of Excellence Awards. It also, coincidentally, commemorates the 20th Anniversary of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection. He took the opportunity to wish the Ministry well in the delivery of its Women Empowerment Agenda.
