Photo exhibition on University of Ghana women opens

Accra, Sept. 15, GNA - The Centre for Gender Studies and Advocacy (CEGENSA) of the University of Ghana on Monday organized a photo exhibition to celebrate the achievements of prominent women who have passed through the university since its inception in 1948.

Prof. Clifford Nii Tagoe, Vice Chancellor of the University, who opened the exhibition, said it was a sign that the university had come of age as an institution of higher learning, adding "given their (women's) neglect in the account of the university's history, this photo exhibition could serve as a corrective (active)".

He said the reform on tertiary education in the 1980s made it a policy concern to increase the intake of women. "Currently the women to men ratio of the school stands at 3:2."

Prof. Tagoe said improving women's participation in postgraduate training and providing childcare to support them was a necessary condition to ensure their full contribution to the growth and development of the country.

The photo exhibition traces progress of women from the 1950s up to the present and highlights the contributions and achievements of individual women, students, alumni, faculty and staff and some well known as well as unknown women of the school. On display are pictures of Dr Audrey Gadzekpo, Acting Director of the School of Communication Studies, Prof. Ewurama Addy, a professor in the sciences, Mrs Mary Chinery Hesse, Chief Advisor to the President, Prof Ama Atta Aidoo, a poet and play right, Mrs Efua Sutherland and Mrs Stella Amoa of the University Public Affairs. Prof Akosua Ampofo, Head CEGENSA, said the centre was enhancing its research to provide information on some unique needs of female students, promote advocacy and initiate policies on gender in the university. She said the centre would carry out two major researches into "Understandings and Experiences of Sexual Assault on University Campuses" and "Formalizing the Informal and Informalising the Formal: Analyzing Changes in Women's Work in the Domestic and Banking Service in Ghana."

Ms. Ama Dadson, Deputy Director and a member of the Research Team said the photo exhibition would soon be digitized and put online to ensure accessibility. She said the women@UG@60 online archive would offer a single access point to hundreds of images, sound bytes created and collected from all over the world".