GEA holds 11th women in HR Conference

By Wisdom JONNY-NUEKPE

The Ghana Employers Association (GEA) has hosted its annual Women in Human Resource (HR) Conference in Accra, with a call on stakeholders to prioritise women inclusion at all levels of national development.

Speaking at the conference which is the 11th edition, Second Deputy Governor of Bank of Ghana, Mrs. Matilda Asante-Asiedu, stressed that while women have excelled in Human Resources, Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility, their impact must extend to boardrooms and executive spaces where long-term decisions are made.

More importantly, Mrs. Asante-Asiedu encouraged women to position themselves to fully benefit from the opportunities created by Affirmative Action quotas, explaining that female appointment to boards must be intentional and not symbolic.

Women cannot be confined to the so-called “soft committees.” The future of organisations is shaped in audit, risk, finance and innovation committees. If women are absent there, then half of society’s wisdom is absent where it matters most,” she said.

She further encouraged women to position themselves to fully benefit from the opportunities created by Affirmative Action quotas.

“Women are not just nurturers of people, we are architects of vision, of strategy and of transformation. Elevating women beyond HR is not about charity or tokenism; it is about competitiveness and survival in a fast-changing world,” she added.

The deputy governor shared her personal career journey from journalism into banking, describing how taking bold risks and embracing continuous learning allowed her to lead initiatives that transformed retail banking, women’s banking and digital inclusion projects.

She argued that the experiences highlight why women must be supported to step outside traditional boxes.

Quoting studies from McKinsey, Deloitte and the Harvard Business Review, the deputy governor emphasised that companies with more women in executive roles are more profitable, more innovative and trusted more.

She noted that beyond economics, women reinvest significantly into families and communities, multiplying the benefits of inclusive leadership.

Mrs. Asante-Asiedu also linked her call to Ghana’s Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024, which sets targets of 30 percent women in leadership by 2026, 35 percent by 2028 and 50 percent by 2030.

CEO of GEA, Mr. Alex Frimpong, said the country has over the last few years seen a greater number of women rising to the summit of HR leadership both in the corporate world and in the public sector.

He said GEA, in recognition of this trend and, more importantly, the significant contribution of women in HR to business outcomes, business performance, competiveness and overall industrial harmony, put together the Women in HR Conference to provide a platform for them to share ideas, experiences and practices that will help them enhance their career prospects and advancement in the corporate world.

The Women in HR Conference, now in its 11th year, has become a flagship platform for empowering female professionals to exchange ideas, sharpen leadership skills and contribute to national productivity.

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