Accra: Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, the Deputy Chief of Staff, has announced the government’s readiness to partner with Plan International Ghana on the ‘She Leads’ project, which aims to transform gender norms and promote gender equality and shared opportunities. The initiative seeks to unite local, regional, and national efforts to empower girls and young women to assert their rights.
According to Ghana News Agency, the ‘She Leads’ project has mobilized over a thousand girls and young women across Ghana into a dynamic social movement advocating for gender equality, inclusive leadership, and the protection of girls’ rights. This network consists of student clubs, community advocates, change champions, and partner organizations working together to promote equal opportunities and address systemic barriers to leadership and decision-making for girls and young women.
Madam Bampoe Addo emphasized the importance of strengthening collaboration between the government, youth-led, and gender movements to achieve significant and lasting change. She encouraged girls and young women to “sit at the table of decision-making with or without a chair,” urging them to lead boldly, challenge injustice, and hold leaders accountable.
The collaboration between the government and Plan International comes in response to the current gender disparity in leadership roles within Ghana. Although women constitute 50.7% of the population, they hold only 14.9% of parliamentary seats as of the 2024 elections. This figure represents a slight increase from 14.5% in 2021. At the local government level, women make up just 4.1% of elected assembly members in the 2023 District Level Elections.
Regionally, Sub-Saharan Africa has seen women’s representation in national parliaments rise from 12% in 2000 to 25% in 2020. However, progress has been uneven, with countries like Rwanda achieving 63.7% female parliamentary representation, while others lag significantly behind. These figures highlight the systemic barriers that continue to limit women’s full participation in leadership and decision-making roles.
Madam Addo advised members of the social movement to leverage their voices, utilize digital platforms, build communities, and mobilize for change. She emphasized that the future is being claimed by the voices, actions, and unity of girls and young women.
Mr. Constant Tchona, the Country Director of Plan International Ghana, remarked that the launch of the ‘She Leads’ Social Movement is a bold declaration that girls and young women will no longer stand on the margins of leadership and decision-making but will take their rightful place at the center. He affirmed the organization’s belief in the power of girls and young women, stating that when they are given the tools, platform, and space to lead, they can transform their lives, uplift families, reshape communities, and challenge systems of exclusion and inequality.
The ‘She Leads’ Project has demonstrated what is possible when investment is made directly in girls and young women. Mr. Tchona highlighted the powerful advocacy efforts led by these young leaders on issues such as menstrual hygiene, quality education, child marriage, climate justice, and gender equality. He concluded by encouraging the girls and young women to continue believing in their potential, speaking up, and recognizing that they are not just the future but the present.