Josephine Oppong-Yeboah commends Mahama for UN call to protect women’s rights

Ghanaian media personality and gender advocate, Josephine Oppong-Yeboah, has commended President John Dramani Mahama for urging world leaders to prioritise the protection and empowerment of women and girls during his address to the United Nations General Assembly.

“It was soothing hearing an African leader urging the global leaders to prioritise the protection of women and girls,” Oppong-Yeboah said in a media interview, adding that many leaders, particularly in Africa, often sideline women’s rights when it comes to leadership positions.

Speaking at the UN in New York on Thursday, Mahama called for stronger global efforts to achieve gender equality, saying true development is impossible without it.

“For the sake of Africa, and quite selfishly, for the sake of my 18-year-old daughter, I hope this new world that is arriving is a place of safety and equality for women and girls,” he said.

“To succeed, we must empower everyone, including women and girls, to reach their full potential,” Mahama added.

“Now every Ghanaian girl knows the heights to which she can ascend.”

The Ghanaian leader also expressed hope that the UN would soon appoint its first female Secretary-General.

“Words matter, but issues of representation matter even more,” he said.

Mahama noted that Ghana had appointed its first female vice president, which he said would inspire young girls to aspire to leadership roles.

Oppong-Yeboah described Mahama’s remarks as “highly motivating,” saying they reinforced the importance of building a just world for women and girls.