Our Women Deserve More Than A Happy Mothers' Day!

Fortunately for mankind, all the scriptures have given credence to the fact that, Allah created man before a woman. What is not known to all is the reason for the creation of a man before a woman, hence the wrong assumption that men is somehow 'superior' to women. But, the rationale for God's action was a simple one; He used man as a rough draft (sketch) to enable Him come out with the final masterpiece, in this case the woman.

This clearly shows how unique and precious women are as far as God's creators are concerned. Probably, people who beat women, especially their wives and girl friends, rape them, impregnate them without taking responsibility might be unaware of this, but it must be pointed out to them that, a woman is the epitome of tenderness, care and wisdom.

In Ghana and other parts of the world, women's contribution to nation building cannot be over-emphasized. This could be seen in all sectors of the Ghanaian economy – agriculture, health, education, public service, trade, among others.

One therefore wonders why our women continue to face discrimination, abuses and prejudice in this modern era despite the higher percentage of women as against men in population. For instance, the 2010 Population and Housing Census in Ghana puts our women population at 51.3% as against 48.7% of men.

This unfortunate situation therefore calls for more pragmatic policies geared towards gender equality in all spheres of life so that the livelihood of the Ghanaian woman could be improved. In his Inaugural Address in June 2000, at the UN Session in Beijing, our own Kofi Annan who was the then UN Secretary General remarked; “The future of this planet depends on women”. The implication is that without women, development and the survival of the human race will remain elusive.

The onus therefore lies on all stakeholders, especially the various political parties in Ghana to ensure that the welfare and empowerment of the Ghanaian woman feature prominently in their plans, policies and programmes. It is against this backdrop that some of us have been at the forefront of kicking against policies such as 'Cash and Carry' in the Health sector, high interest rates, etc that contribute to the deterioration of women's welfare. Our women would be happy to see the effective free maternal care, efficient national health insurance scheme, free SHS for their kids, accessible and affordable loans, lower import duties, more market centres, and equal opportunities.

In celebrating their Day today, it is imperative we all join our women to make their Day a wonderful one. Our mothers have nurtured us right from infancy and made us what we are today. Let's show our sincere gratitude to our dear mothers, wives, nieces, and daughters. Equally, I advise other women who are so abusive to their husbands, men, maids, work colleagues just because of their position and wealth.

Whilst we ask for God's blessings and protection for them, we shouldn't forget to give our maximum respect, love, care, and support to our women. For those who still see their mums as witches, and thus refuse to take good care of them, God should touch their hearts and minds for them to realise that, Mother's Love is incomparable to any love in this world, for it is sweeter and everlasting.

I wish all our women, especially the best ever partner of mine, Nana Ama Owusua Agyeman, the best ever mum of mine, Maame Ama Pokuah, the best ever daughters of mine, Yaa Boatemaa Agyemang, Ama Pokuah Agyemang, and Abena Owusua Agyemang as well as all women friends of mine, a Happy Mothers' Day!

Katakyie Kwame Opoku Agyemang
Asante Bekwai-Asakyiri