The government says Ghana’s long term development depends on women’s full participation in leadership, with the Gender Minister urging deliberate action to widen their role in decision making.
The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, delivered the message on behalf of Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang at the fifth annual leadership conference of the Ghana Employers’ Association (GEA) in Accra. Advancing women into leadership, she said, was central to building more innovative, resilient and productive organisations that can drive national growth.
Lartey argued that real progress demanded leaders who pursue “deliberate, measurable and transformative action” rather than symbolic gestures. Effective leadership, she said, means creating opportunities, removing systemic barriers and ensuring institutions reflect fairness, competence, inclusion and accountability.
Organisations that prioritise gender parity tend to perform better, innovate more and absorb shocks more easily, she added, casting women’s participation as an economic and developmental necessity rather than a social courtesy.
She praised the GEA for keeping the conference running since 2022 and for promoting inclusive leadership through its flagship programme, which she ranked among the country’s most impactful leadership interventions.
The gathering ran under the Female Future Programme Ghana (FFPGH), drawing business leaders, development partners, policymakers and women professionals around the theme of ethical leadership, accountability and inclusive governance.
Launched in 2019 with support from the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise, the FFPGH equips women with leadership, governance and boardroom skills. It has since trained hundreds of women across the public and private sectors, many of whom have moved into senior roles.
