I enjoyed my time as Gender Minister - Otiko Djaba

A former Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Otiko Afisa Djaba, has described her time at the Gender Ministry as exciting.

According to her, it was a great time leading the affairs of the Ministry during President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's first term of office.

"February 2017 to August 2018, for a year, it was exciting. It was a great time. We had worked so hard to come into power. 2012 we lost the elections, we went to court lost and to win and to be made a minister, I was walking on cloud ten. My walkings changed. The dream had been finally fulfilled.

“The reason I became National Women's Organiser had finally come to pass. So, I was very excited. I was consumed by my sense of responsibility that I was asked to come and touch this important Ministry," she stated during an interview on Election Desk on GhanaWeb TV.

She emphasised the important role of the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, which she believes is often overlooked.

"It is a place where all vulnerable people come to for redress, social protection, children, women and persons with disability and that has been my passion. I worked in rural Ghana on issues like that to make a difference in the lives of children and women.

"So, it was like I had been given a blank cheque to fill it in. I will wake up in the middle of the night writing ideas for what I want to do and listening to people. It was like a dream come true. So I was very excited and happy," she explained.

Touching on her achievements during her time at the Ministry, Dr Djaba said she worked passionately to solve some of the gaps in the sector identified during her work in rural Ghana.

"For me, that position gave me an unprecedented opportunity to achieve the dreams that I had been struggling with in rural Ghana.

"I was working in 98 communities, but as a Minister for Gender, I could support legislation and get to parliament to bring it up, like the Affirmative Action Bill; I worked on it, and that could get the lives of women, children, and other vulnerable people in society better," she stated.

Dr Djaba paid a glowing tribute to all those who supported her during her time at the Ministry.

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