Gov’t urged to invest more in women’s economic empowerment

By Samuel SAM, Tamale

Senior Assistant Registrar at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Dr. Rahaina Tahiru, has called for more investment in women empowerment.

She advocated that government allocates a percentage of the national budget to invest in women’s economic empowerment. This, she asserted, would accelerate progress toward poverty eradication and inclusive growth by allowing women to explore their entrepreneurial skills, ultimately reducing poverty and unemployment rates in the country.

She said this at an International Women’s Day event held at the Nyankpala Campus of UDS under the theme ‘advancing diverse forms of investment in women to accelerate progress toward a gender-equal world’.

The occasion, organised by the Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency (SWIDA) Ghana, in collaboration with the Center for Gender and Career Mentorship (CGCM) UDS Chapter and the Students Representative Council of UDS, brought together stakeholders and students from various secondary and tertiary institutions, along with other development partners.

Dr. Tahiru highlighted the significance of ensuring equal opportunities for women in decision-making, access to quality education and empowerment, emphasising that it would effectively address extreme poverty.

Citing a World Bank report from 2022, she noted that one in every ten women globally, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, lives in extreme poverty.

For his part, Mammah Tenii, Head of the Decentralised Office at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), noted that bridging gender equality requires eliminating discrimination against women in the national development agenda.

He also underscored the importance of empowering female entrepreneurs .

Dr. Esther Amoako, Director of CGCM, called for the passage of the Affirmation Bill to end gender discrimination in Ghana.

She explained her outfit’s efforts to promote gender-responsive policies, advance equity through academic programmes and create a violence-free environment.

Prof. Raphael Adu-Gyamfi, a senior lecturer at UDS, advised students to focus on their studies to achieve their goals in school.

Similarly, Fuseini Junawei, Programmes Officer at SWIDA-Ghana, emphasised the critical role of rural women in enhancing agricultural production and rural development to eradicate poverty and unemployment.

He expressed the organisation’s commitment to advocating an end to gender and sexual violence, especially within educational institutions.

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