Some of Ghana’s most influential women in business, diplomacy, and public life gathered at the Residence of France in Accra on March 4, 2026, for a high-level luncheon and executive roundtable that brought candid, solution-oriented dialogue on women’s leadership to the heart of the country’s bilateral relationship with France.
The event, organised by the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Ghana (CCIFG) in partnership with the French Embassy, marked International Women’s Day under the theme “Leadership in Action: Women Shaping Ghana’s Economic Future.” It drew senior female executives and decision-makers from across Ghana’s most strategic sectors for an afternoon that moved well beyond ceremony into substantive conversation.
H.E. Diarra Dimé-Labille, Ambassador of France to Ghana, set the tone from the outset. “Leadership is action,” she said in her welcome address. “And action, when driven by talented and courageous women, has the power to reshape economies, institutions, and societies.” H.E. Anna Bossman reinforced this, describing the event as a vital demonstration of the France-Ghana partnership and a shared commitment to investing in the competence of young female innovators.
One of the roundtable’s sharpest exchanges came from communications veteran Ms Esther Cobbah, who challenged the room on the gendered double standards applied to female authority, questioning why traits celebrated as strength in male leaders are frequently labelled as being too tough or too strong when displayed by women. She called for a fundamental shift in how society perceives and responds to female leadership.
Ing. Patricia Obo-Nai, former Chief Executive Officer of Telecel Ghana, made a forceful case for financial independence as the bedrock of professional autonomy. “Whatever you do, if you are independent financially, it means that you have an exit strategy. That’s why your competence and your hard work really matter,” she said. She also pointed to the growing importance of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), noting that with women currently making up 36% of the tech sector, young girls entering these fields are the ones who will truly shape the world.
Mrs Patricia Poku-Diaby offered a widely discussed perspective on where real power sits within organisations. “The head cannot do anything without the neck, and the neck actually directs the head. Don’t fret about being the head — be the neck,” she said, drawing on the idea that influence often operates most effectively from positions that are not always the most visible. Ms Salome Azevedo complemented this with a reminder that leadership is not a universal obligation: “Be a leader if it suits you, otherwise, it becomes a burden. Understand what you want in life. If it is something that you want and you embrace, it can be good and it can be fun.”
Emotional intelligence emerged as a recurring theme among the speakers. Ms Naa Siokor Boi-Bi-Boi and Ms Rahaf Mahfoud both underscored the deep preparation required to lead effectively, while Ms Sabina Manu of Guinness Ghana described empathy as a double-edged quality, one that comes naturally to many women but can become an “Achilles’ heel” if it leads to granting second chances where they are not earned. Ms Amma Gyampo closed the substantive discussion with a direct directive: “Before you lead, you must actually, truly study.”
The Ambassador drew the afternoon’s themes together in her closing reflections. “The true measure of leadership is not only what we achieve individually, but what we enable others to achieve after us,” she said. CCIFG Managing Director Maxine Reindorf-Partey echoed this in her own closing remarks, framing women’s leadership not as aspiration but as a structural requirement for Ghana’s current economic transformation. “Let us continue to lead with purpose, support one another, and open doors for those who will follow,” she urged.
The event was sponsored by Telecel Ghana, Vivo Energy, Nestlé Ghana, Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Publicis West Africa, Guinness Ghana, and Yves Rocher.
