Information Minister Fatimatu Abubakar says she expects the Vice President-elect who is also the first female to occupy the position, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, to carry a lot of people along.
Congratulating her and the President-elect on their election, she entreated the Vice President-elect to let her office reflect a positive change for the girl child.
She was speaking during a media engagement at the Information Ministry Thursday, December 19, 2024.
Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang emerged as Ghana’s first female vice president during the last general elections bringing hope and pride to the girl child.
The 73-year-old Professor and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast’s feat has placed Ghana among a growing number of African nations advancing gender equality in leadership.
But her win has brought to the front, a lot of expectations which many wonder if she could achieve all before her tenure elapses.
For the Information Minister, irrespective of what position a woman occupies, she must make a remarkable impact on her gender.
‘‘Whether a Deputy Minister, Member of Parliament, Assembly Woman, to carry a lot of people along, that is what matters. To reach out make sure your office reflects a positive change for your gender, or is representing affirmative action in the way.
“When at the time of your office, the woman in the political space will say it is within this period that we had the best advocacy, no matter how efficient I am as an Information Minister, if I walk out here and I did not do anything positive for female journalists, and there is no record of my advocacy in the media space to increase women’s voices, I deem that as a failure on its own.
“If I did not inspire anybody, I will be be so disappointed that I will not be able to raise my head, so it’s a wonderful opportunity,’’ she said.
She went ahead to congratulate the President-elect and the vice urging her on the big responsibility ahead.
“I congratulate the President-elect and the Vice President-elect, and personally congratulate her on the milestone and what it means to have her as a female Vice President, but I also remind her of a bigger responsibility to be the strongest advocate for women in politics, and also women’s courses for courses like free SHS,” she stated explaining that but for the policy, many girls would have been left out of school.
“So, I believe the biggest advocacy is to remember the record of what free SHS has brought before. Free SHS, out of every 100 boys in senior high school, there were 64 girls. Today, in 2024, out of every 100 boys in senior high schools, there are 106 girls,” she added.
