First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo has made a plea to the nation to increase efforts to bring about gender equality in the region.

Pointing to President Akufo-Addo’s “AU Gender Champion” award and his appointing of women to key positions in government, she said the country has made “great strides”. However, she underlined that this was just the start and there was still a long journey ahead.

The first lady made the speech on Saturday at the second ALLGHANA Summit hosted by Awesome Treasures Foundation, a United Nations recognised Nigerian NGO. Founded by Olajumoke Adenowo, whom CNN have described as Africa’s Starchitect, its mission over the past 19 years has been to raise transformational leaders who can one day achieve the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals – of which gender equality is number five. It has held over 104 summits on different continents, and over 12,000 people have benefitted from their various initiatives.

First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo – speaking at the event – stated:

“Women and Youth are the (Awesome Treasures) Foundation’s niche. The foundation no doubt recognised that this goal (gender equality) would be impossible without the partnership of “He for Shes”, such as His Excellency the President of Ghana President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo and the very brave men who have joined us at this summit today. However, this goal would also be impossible without sisters supporting each other.

“I believe in line with the teachings of Awesome Treasures Foundation, that a woman’s role transcends being a mother to her own biological offspring to being a mother to the community. In this role she definitely needs the support of her “village” of sisters.

“There is more that unites us, more that we have in common as women than the differences that divide us. We as people of faith are bound with cords of love, as Christianity is predicated on the pillar of God’s love. My charge to us all is this: as we rise up to our positions as Mothers to our communities and leaders in every sector of corporate and national life - let us rise up to support our sisters in love that we may together achieve the peace and prosperity we desire for our nations.”