Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has highlighted the long-standing contribution of women to Ghana’s development, saying women have played important roles in building the country’s economic and social foundations.
She made the remarks in a post following the inaugural Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences Women’s Awards. The awards were held under the theme, “Breaking Barriers, Building Nations: Celebrating Women in Outstanding Leadership in Ghana.”
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said Ghana’s progress has never been the work of one group alone. She noted that women have contributed to the country’s development long before gender equality became a major part of national discussions.
“Ghana’s progress has always been built on collective effort,” she said. The Vice President pointed to the many roles women have played across Ghanaian society.
“Long before conversations about gender equality entered our national discourse, women farmed, fished, traded, healed, adjudicated, created, led communities, and contributed to the economic and social foundations on which our country was built,” she said.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang, who has been a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences for about two decades, said the occasion was particularly meaningful to her.
She said Ghana’s history demonstrates that women have always been part of nation-building. However, unequal access to opportunities prevented many women from reaching their full potential.
“Our history shows that women have always contributed to nation-building. Yet unequal access meant that generations of women were excluded from opportunities they were fully capable of pursuing,” she said.
The Vice President acknowledged progress in improving opportunities for women but said more work remains. She pointed to representation within institutions such as the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences as an indication that efforts to expand opportunities must continue.
“We have made considerable progress, but representation within institutions such as the Academy reminds us that work remains,” she said.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang also linked access to opportunities for girls with Ghana’s future development. “When girls are denied opportunities at the outset, we reduce the pool from which our future scientists, scholars, professionals and leaders can emerge,” she said.
She commended the Academy for recognising women whose work is making an impact at the grassroots.
The Vice President said national development takes place across different parts of society. “Ghana is built in our universities and boardrooms, but equally in our farms, markets and communities,” she said.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang said barriers to women’s participation can be removed through deliberate action. “Barriers are not permanent. Institutions and circumstances can dismantle them through deliberate action,” she said.
She identified education, gender equity measures and access to finance as important areas for continued attention.
She also mentioned initiatives such as the Women’s Development Bank as part of efforts to improve access to finance for women. The Vice President congratulated the women recognized at the awards and expressed hope that opportunities would continue to expand.
“I congratulate all the remarkable women recognised by the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. May we continue to expand opportunity, and may the barriers keep falling,” she said.
