Accra, March 8, – As Ghana joined the rest of the world to mark International Women’s Day 2026, Lordina Dramani Mahama, the First Lady, has urged Ghanaians to reflect on how they can contribute to advancing gender equality and empowering women.
In a statement to commemorate the day, Mrs Mahama encouraged citizens to consider practical actions that would create opportunities for women and girls.
“Will you mentor a young woman starting her own business? Will you advocate your daughter’s education as passionately as you do for your son’s? Will you support policies that promote equal opportunities in your workplace and community?” she asked.
The First Lady said investing in women produced far-reaching benefits for families, communities and national development.
“When women succeed, families flourish, communities thrive, and the nation advances,” she said.
Quoting the Akan proverb “Se wo were fi na wosan kofa a yenkyiri,” which means it is not wrong to return for something forgotten, Mrs Mahama called for renewed efforts to support women and girls who might have been left behind.
She cited opportunities for market women in Makola, mentorship for young technology entrepreneurs in Accra, and skills development for shea butter producers in Northern Ghana as examples of initiatives that could help empower women.
Mrs Mahama noted that while progress had been made in areas such as girls’ enrolment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and the increasing number of women in leadership roles, challenges remained.
Many talented girls still dropped out of school, women entrepreneurs often lacked access to funding, and women’s voices were still underrepresented in decision-making spaces, she said.
She added that the Affirmative Action Act 2024 had created new opportunities for women’s participation in governance, while initiatives such as the proposed Women’s Development Bank were expected to support female entrepreneurs across the country.
Meanwhile, Mrs Emelia Arthur, Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, has also called for increased investment in women across all sectors, describing their empowerment as essential for stronger institutions and accelerated national development.
She made the call during the 2026 International Women’s Day Breakfast Meeting organised by Women in Aviation Ghana in collaboration with the **Ghana Airports Company Limited Ladies Club in Accra.
The meeting, held under the theme “Give to Gain,” brought together women professionals from aviation and other sectors to discuss gender equality, leadership and mentorship.
Mrs Arthur said progress in gender equality did not happen by chance but through deliberate investment in mentorship, knowledge sharing and opportunities.
“Every gain we celebrate today exists because someone, somewhere, gave their time, knowledge, mentorship, courage or opportunity,” she said.
She commended women working in aviation for breaking barriers in a sector historically dominated by men.
Drawing comparisons with the fisheries sector, she noted that women in Ghana’s fishing communities constituted more than 80 per cent of the workforce involved in fish processing and trading, yet their contributions often remained under-recognised.
Mrs Arthur said the Ministry was implementing gender-responsive policies to ensure that women participated actively in fisheries governance and decision-making.
In a related development, Ark Foundation Ghana has called for stronger national efforts to ensure that women benefit meaningfully from the care, labour and contributions they provide to families and communities.
In a statement marking International Women’s Day, the Foundation said society needed to reconsider the heavy burden of unpaid care and emotional labour placed on women, which often affected their autonomy, well-being and economic progress.
The organisation said caregiving had long been socially constructed as a core aspect of womanhood, encouraging women to prioritise the needs of others over their own aspirations.
While acknowledging progress made since the beginning of Ghana’s Fourth Republic, including the Domestic Violence Act 2007, the National Gender Policy 2015, and the Affirmative Action Act, the Foundation noted that significant challenges remained.
Women currently held only about 26 per cent of managerial positions in the public sector and about 4.1 per cent of district assembly seats, while issues such as gender-based violence, harmful cultural norms and period poverty continued to affect women’s development.
The Foundation therefore urged government, communities and families to share caregiving responsibilities more equitably and support women’s rights organisations working to promote gender equality.
International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8 to recognise the achievements of women and to promote gender equality worldwide.
The day was first observed in 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland and was officially recognised by the United Nations in 1975 during the International Women’s Year.
GHBUSS
March 8, 2026
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