Rotary International District 9102 inducts first female District Governor

Rotarians in District 9102, comprising clubs in four countries namely, Ghana, Benin, Niger, and Togo, have inducted into office Yvonne Kumoji-Darko as District Governor for the 2020/21 Rotary year.

She is the first female to hold the highest position in Rotary International District 9102 and takes over the baton from the 2019/20 District Governor Richard Akpoto-Kougblenou from Togo.

The theme for this Rotary Year is "Rotary Opens Opportunities" chosen by the Rotary International President, Holger Knaack.

In her acceptance speech, District Governor Yvonne Kumoji-Darko stated that the theme for the 2020/21 Rotary year is apt with the times we find ourselves in as Rotarians, as a nation and globally.

“I am at the onset of my term as District Governor, and in the face of my upcoming duty I feel humbled, but at the same time, I feel honoured and privileged. I am grateful to Rotarians for the opportunity given me to work together to improve District 9102 and to lead Rotarians in the next year.”

She paid tribute to the Past District Governors of District 9102 for their commitment and dynamism in making Rotary relevant in our communities.

District Governor Yvonne said the Rotary International President Holger Knaack’s theme supports the efforts to grow Rotary because becoming a Rotarian offers prospective members new opportunities.

One of the opportunities is to serve and provide service through Rotary in areas such as; providing clean water, opportunities to go to schools, medical care, supporting the environment, and so forth.

She encouraged all Rotarians to continue to lead and serve at all levels when called upon.

“In Rotary, we know it does not matter who thought of what or who gets the credit because our motto is “Service above Self”. It is not about Rotarians, it is about the impactful and sustainable projects that get implemented. It is about the work that gets done! Rotarians in District 9102 will continue to serve their communities with passion and vision,” she said.

In a keynote address at the investiture, Sam Okudzeto, a renowned lawyer, Rotarian, and Past Rotary International Director and Trustee paid glowing tribute to the role of women in the Rotary Clubs since being granted the opportunity to join.

He said the change was important since, without it, there would be general weaknesses and praised the District Governor for her unparalleled support to the Rotary Foundation.

Mr. Okudzeto called on members to support the Foundation, which undertakes projects and programmes, to be able to deliver on its service commitments to communities and humanity at large.
Rotary clubs in Ghana and the district have contributed immensely to the development of their communities for the past 61 years.

Rotary has been at the forefront of eradicating Polio in collaboration with the Ministry of Health/Ghana Health Service; Development Partners such as WHO, USAID, UNICEF, JICA, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Civil Society Organizations and Research Institutions such as Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research.

Other areas of support as per The Rotary Foundation’s Seven Areas of Focus to hundreds of communities across Ghana and the district, namely provision of potable water, improved sanitation and hygiene facilities, improving access to basic education and literacy, improving access to maternal and child health, disease prevention and treatment, promoting peace and conflict resolution, and facilitating community and economic empowerment, and supporting the environment.

During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Rotary Clubs did not relent on their efforts but continued to support communities and the front line health workers through the procurement and donation of PPEs and related items and provision of PCR test kits to Noguchi with contributions from individual Rotarians in line with their motto of “Service above self."