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The?Deputy Chief of Staff in Charge of Financing and Administration, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, has emphasised economic empowerment as is a key driver of gender equality and personal advancement.
She noted that Ghana was making strides — citing the first female Vice-President, the Gender Equality Act and the upcoming Women’s Development Bank--- as evidence of progress.
Ms Bampoe therefore encouraged women to build confidence, uphold strong values and pursue their goals with tenacity, declaring that true empowerment begins with economic independence and self-belief.
"This is also another frontier that we need to conquer economically. Economic empowerment is the way to go. Once as a woman, you are economically empowered, you are able to get your CVs and put them in your purse, and you are able to work. That is half your story," she said.
"Once you are confident, you have true convictions, that is another story. Believe in yourself and be dedicated to your cause. Tenacity of purpose. Principles and values. Stay true to yourself and you will get there," she stressed.
Ms Bampoe was speaking at the 2025 ‘She Builds’ Conference organised by the Academic Woman Foundation in Accra last Wednesday.
The event was meant to assess the current representation, challenges, and successes of women and to project future needs as well as opportunities based on the country’s socio-economic landscape and global trends.
It was also meant to build a strategic roadmap and cross-sector action plan for female empowerment while connecting women across sectors to foster mentorship, investment and policy advocacy.
The event was held on the theme: “From Margin to Centre: Redefining Women’s Economic Power in Ghana.”
It brought together women in entrepreneurship, law, engineering, media and politics to outline future pathways for growth, collaboratively define practical strategies to break barriers and foster inclusion and innovation.
Notable among the attendees were the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Prof. Lydia Aziato; the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey; Chief Enterprise Officer at MTN Ghana, Angela Mensah Poku; Founder of the Academic Woman Foundation, Dr Anatu Mahama; Chairperson of Women in Engineering Ghana, Mrs Jane Naki Tetteh Anowie; Intellectual Property Attorney, Sarah Norkor Anku; Triple-barred Lawyer, Christine Opoku Onyinah, and Deputy Presidential Spokesperson, Shamima Muslim.
Gender Minister, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, highlighted the historical marginalisation of women’s voices and leadership, emphasising that while women have been visible, they have often been undervalued and underutilised.
She stressed that women must move from the margins to the centre of decision-making in all sectors — from politics and law to agriculture and innovation.
She acknowledged Ghana’s progress in empowering women, pointing to their growing presence in various fields, and also celebrated the historic achievement of Ghana’s first female Vice-President, Prof. Nana Jane Opoku Agyemang, as a source of inspiration.
However, Dr Lartey pointed out that progress remained uneven as women still faced underrepresentation in parliament, persistent high school dropout rates among girls, as well as many women being excluded from the formal economy due to harmful practices and stereotypes.
The founder of the Academic Woman Foundation described the conference as a bold declaration of women's power to shape economies, transform communities, and reimagine the future.
She emphasised that although fields such as law, engineering and entrepreneurship had been traditionally male-dominated, women were already playing pivotal roles in them — driving justice, designing systems, building environments and innovating markets.
Dr Mahama called for building strategic alliances, especially with male allies, and emphasised intersectional approaches that connect technology, design, policy and entrepreneurship.
