Women advised to aspire for big national assigmnments

Abokobi (GAR), June 17, GNA - The Reverend Dr Nana Opare Kwakye, Lecturer of the University of Ghana, Legon, has admonished women to take advantage of the prevailing opportunities in Ghana to acquire the necessary skills and training.

This, he, said would place them in the position for greater national assignments.

He said the successes already chalked out by women in various leadership positions in both the public and private institutions must be a source of inspiration to aspire for greater roles.

Rev Kwakye was delivering the maiden Reverend Rose Akua Ampofo Memorial Lecture at Abokobi in the Greater Accra Region.

The lecture, organised by the Presbyterian Women's Centre, (PWC) was on the theme: 'Women's Visibility, Voice and Space in the Church: The Role of the Presbyterian Women's Centre.'

Rev Kwakye said even though women formed the majority of the Presbyterian Church, no woman had been appointed to the top hierarchy of the church.

He however, acknowledged the important role women play in the accelerated development of a nation and explained why the Constitution had placed responsibility on the state to take all necessary steps to ensure the full integration of women into main stream economic development of the nation.

Rev Kwakye expressed dissatisfaction about the traditional and social barriers militating against the progress of women.

'These excesses against women,'' he said could be nipped in the bud through women empowerment and encouragement and one of the tools is the formation of women groups to ensure that women have real voice in all institutions.

Rev Kwakye appealed to women pressure groups to set up funds to finance women who want to go into politics, saying they should stop forming wings in political parties and be part of the main party so that they could have full mandate and equal opportunity during elections.

He described the late Rev Ampofo, first Director of the Presbyterian Women's Centre, who initiated the establishment of the facility, as a woman whose leadership role had made the place what it is today.

Rev Kwakye said the Rev Ampofo, who died in 2003 through a motor accident, was a woman of substance, an astute personality, doing everything without partiality.

He appealed to parents to educate their children so that they might not be lured by disgruntled politicians to cause chaos during the November 7 general election.

He also urged the leaders of the various political parties to refrain from using abusive languages whenever they mounted platforms.

He tasked the Electoral Commission to put the necessary measures in place to ensure that the elections are free and fair.

Rev Kwakye commended the Centre for organising the lecture and expressed the hope that women in the presbytery would emulate the shining leadership of the late Rev Ampofo.

Rev. Esther A. Adjetey, Director of the PWC said since the establishment of the Centre in 1992, the Centre had provided women with training, knowledge and relevant skills to enhance their effective participation in the church and the society.

The facility is also offers to other organisations a source of income generation to support the Centre's programmes.

She said the Centre had launched its Programme Strategy 2020, which seeks to see women discovering new space in the church, family and society and providing support through effective partnership that furthers the agenda for women's empowerment.

The Centre launched the 'Hall of Fame' where women who had excelled at the Centre would be rewarded.

GNA