83 graduates of the Female Future Programme (FFP) attended the second annual leadership conference of the Ghana Employers' Association (GEA), which was held in Accra.
Dan Acheampong, the association's president, urged the inclusion of women in leadership roles.
Mr. Acheampong stated that the majority of women in the formal sector were found in service and sales roles in their organizations, while the core management, professional, and technical roles were predominately held by men, citing the 2021 Population and Housing Census and the seventh round of the Ghana Living Standards Survey reports.
This indicates that there is an imbalance in the parties involved in decision-making at the top level in each of our organizations, which is a troubling trend that is preventing us from receiving vital feedback from the valued women who make up the majority of society.
"Powering the Future through Balanced Participation in Decision-Making" was the topic of the conference that brought together a number of prominent female CEOs.
Elizabeth Ohene, a seasoned journalist who writes a column for the Daily Graphic and serves as the board chair of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), claimed that because women are important members of society, they should participate at all levels of decision-making.
John Kofi Adomakoh, the managing director of GCB Bank Plc, stated that barriers to women reaching their full potential included limited access to education and training, under-representation and a lack of role models, the absence of supportive policies and structures, cultural and societal norms, as well as gender stereotypes and biases.
He indicated that some effective strategies for breaking down barriers include education and awareness, mentoring, regulatory reforms, strengthening teamwork, and appreciating and applauding the accomplishments of women.
He praised the GEA for being the driving force behind the campaign to close the gender gap in leadership and boost the proportion of women in positions of decision-making.
Conference
The annual leadership conference is a crucial component of the association's flagship FFP, which was first hosted in 2022 and graduated 65 participants from cohorts one and two, according to Alex Frimpong, chief executive officer of GEA.
The graduates this year were from cohorts three and four.
The GEA and the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) established the FFP Ghana in 2019 to address the gender pay gap in leadership roles.
The program's three modules—leadership development, rhetoric, and board competence—are designed to ensure that female potential is fully utilized in businesses.
The NHO-developed program is also implemented in Tunisia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
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