Ring the bell for gender equality

Deborah Agemfrah, Deputy Director General, Legal, SEC, Pearl Nkrumah,
GSE Council Member, Representatives of IFC led by Cemile Hacibeyoglu, Tolou Lacroix, Executive Director of UN Global Compact, Selorm Adadevoh, outgoing CEO of MTN, Antionette Kwofie, CFO, MTN, our valued global partners who are not represented here (UN Women, UN SSE, and, of course, the WFE), esteemed panelists, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, our ever-supportive Deputy Managing Director, beautiful ladies and handsome men of GSE, and last but not least, our media partners.

With great pleasure and pride, I warmly welcome you to the programme as we unite with about 100+ stock exchanges around the world to honor women and ring the bell for gender equality.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the World Federation of Exchange's (WFE) 'Ring the Bell for Gender Equality.'

An initiative of the UNSSE, this programme is aimed at promoting gender parity, inclusion, diversity, and women's empowerment within the financial sector and beyond. The objective is to encourage exchanges to integrate ESG and SDG goals into their operations and policies.

Every year, participating exchanges ring their bells to symbolize their commitment to advancing gender diversity and inclusion, i.e., SDG Goal 5, on or around International Women's Day.

GSE joined this campaign in 2018 in collaboration with IFC after they unsuccessfully pursued us in 2017 (but they did not give up on GSE; thank you, IFC; truly grateful). Since then, our commitment to this cause has grown exponentially, aligning with global efforts to address gender disparities in the capital market.

This year’s theme, “Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress," speaks to the Exchange’s effort to promote gender parity in our market. Aside from the ESG Disclosure Manual, which enables our issuers to report on efforts towards gender inclusion, especially in leadership, we launched the framework for listing green and other sustainability-themed bonds, including gender bonds, last year. We are working hard to list our first gender bond, hopefully before the next celebration of IWD.

We have also reviewed our SME market rules to ensure women-led businesses can utilize the exchange to raise capital to expand and improve their businesses. We continue to encourage our issuers, especially the banks, to consider such businesses for assistance when needed.

I am also pleased to announce that at GSE, we lead by example. That's why the
percentage of females in senior management is 50%, the total female workforce is 45%, and having a woman CEO after 32 years of its establishment is the cherry on top of the cake.

Additionally, the Exchange is proud to announce that its collaboration with The Board Room Africa (TBRA) to produce the valuable Annual Board Diversity Index Report is gaining international recognition. The recent UNSSE, IFC, and UN Women publication “Africa Regional Report on Gender Equality in Corporate Leadership,” launched in October 2023, saw the GSE place fifth among nine African exchanges surveyed.

As we ring the bell for gender equality today, let us renew our commitment to forging a Ghana where every individual, irrespective of gender, can thrive and contribute to our nation's prosperity. The task ahead in this campaign is unnerving, especially considering the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Report, which says it will take about 102 years to completely attain gender equality in sub-Saharan Africa. It sounds and looks impossible, but we are women; we don’t give up, no matter how daunting the task may seem.

We will persevere, overcome, and achieve our goals with purpose and grace. By
our deeds, we will INSPIRE INCLUSION with love.