GLITZ AFRICA - SHEBOSS CONVERSATIONS: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2021
“Women aren’t just hitting glass ceilings but climbing broken ladders. Find your voice and make your words count. You are able to build. That is what you were made for” - Glitz Africa
Image: Glitz Africa presents She Boss Conversations 2021
The 2020 Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE) ranked Ghana as one of the world’s three leading economies having the most women business owners. Having kept a close, admiring eye on the rise of female entrepreneurship in Ghana over the last decade or so, International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month acted as a timely reminder to celebrate women in professional careers and in business, women in homes and women throughout society that continue to push through in the face of adversity, especially in my motherland, Ghana.
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French Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Anne Sophie Avé
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending the residence of the French Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Anne Sophie Avé for a women’s networking brunch with some of Ghana’s high-flying women in attendance, to celebrate International Women’s Day. Organised by the phenomenal Claudia Lumor, UN Ambassador (UNFPA Ghana) and CEO of Glitz Africa, She Boss Conversations 2021 presented us with a lineup of inspirational Ghanaian women across various industries and sectors, unified by their desire to see women be the best that they can indeed be. In attendance were: Her Excellency Samira Bawumia, Second Lady of the Republic of Ghana; Managing Director of Absa Bank, Abena Osei-Poku; Patricia Obo-Nai, CEO of Vodafone Ghana; Kate Quartey-Papafio, Founder of Reroy Cables; Dr Agnes Kayitankore, UNFPA Deputy Country Representative; Maata Opare, Group Head Legal & Company secretary at Fidelity Bank Ghana; Charlotte Osei; CEO of Ghana Commodity Exchange, Tucci Goka Ivowi and Samantha Wuta-Ofei, Life Coach and Marketing Services Manager at Nestlé Ghana.
All of the amazing aforementioned women shared their journeys, shedding light on some of the challenges they overcame along the way as well as their thoughts for the future of the ‘woman’ in Ghana. I took away so much from this event. It would be selfish of me to not share some of the gems that were dropped.
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Her Excellency Samira Bawumia, Second Lady of the Republic of Ghana
Her Excellency Samira Bawumia in her keynote speech encouraged delegates to “leverage their skills, expertise and networks to choose to challenge and to focus on innovative ways to forward gender equality”. Mrs Bawumia reminded us that being a woman is not synonymous to less and this acted as a call to action for all, to advance the development of women and children. It goes without saying that COVID-19 has undone a lot of the work that has previously done and we all have a responsibility in our families, communities and organisations to advocate for women.
How do we leverage our skills, expertise and networks? It can be as small as patronising the business of a fellow woman, mentoring that young professional in your department or recommending a woman to a prospective client. Fundamentally, it is rooted in your intention - intentionally choose to support women.
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Left to right: CEO, Ghana Commodity Exchange, Tucci Goka-Ivowi, CEO and Founder of Reroy Cables, Kate Quartey-Papafio and MD Absa Bank, Afua Osei-Poku
Trailblazer and pioneering industrialist, Kate Quartey-Papafio shared her journey into manufacturing, a male-dominated industry and how boldness, innovation and proactivity played key roles in her attaining success. COVID-19 presented Kate an opportunity to innovatively pivot and take advantage of the shift that occurred nationally and globally. In light of our new normal, Kate implored us to understand that ‘the opportunity is now. Let us move together and sustain what we will be able to build together’. More often than not, as women, we wait until we attain a ‘level of perfection’ before jumping, before starting. MD of Absa Bank, Abena Osei-Poku spoke poignantly on imposter syndrome and encouraged women to not wait for perfection but to rather try your hand at opportunities and take growth lessons from there.
One of my greatest inspirations, Kofi Annan, once said that ‘There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women’. The empowerment of women is important and we all have a part to play in it, thus events and spaces like She Boss conversations are important. I would like to go one step further and say that what we need is effective collaboration amongst women, active mentoring and sponsorship from senior professionals and experienced entrepreneurs, alongside the necessary allyship from men if we really want to see women win. It is so encouraging to see women rising across Ghana, the continent and the world as a whole. Being a woman in modern day society comes with its difficulties, but now more than ever is it important for us as women to stand up for what we believe it, stand in the gap for the voiceless and continue to be trailblazers in whatever space we find ourselves in.
This year’s theme ‘Choose to Challenge’ could not have come at a better time, for me personally and against the backdrop of recent world events. My encouragement to you reading this is to hold on to this year’s call to action: choose to challenge. Choose to challenge societal norms, choose to demystify the limitations you have put on yourself, choose to become the best version of yourself today. I am choosing to step out in faith, to love wholeheartedly, to pursue my dreams relentlessly and to help every and any woman I can along the way.
Be sure to keep up with the journeys of all the amazing panellists linked above as well as Editor-in-Chief of Glitz Africa, Claudia Lumor. For all things premium fashion and lifestyle, check out Glitz Africa.
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