We must do more to leverage the power and potential of women - Edem Agbana

A former Deputy Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Edem Agbana, has called for the world to do more to leverage the power and potential of women.

In his message as the world marks International Women's Day 2023, the youth activist said that there are many strides of women that must be celebrated.

"In our part of the world, the plight of our women is ever more challenging. Women and girls have had to deal with structural inequalities in almost every facet of our national life.

"They are underrepresented in governance and in formal employment. Young girls in particular contend with serious health disparities that affect their growth and development.

"As we celebrate the International Women’s Day, we must take stock of these strides and do more to leverage the power and potential of our women," he wrote in a Facebook post.

The theme for the 2023 IWD is "DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality."

Read Edem Agbana's full message below:

Today marks International Women's Day, a day set aside to raise greater awareness about issues impacting women's equality and to celebrate their achievements in the social, economic, cultural, and political spaces.

The theme for this year's commemoration is DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality, ” which seeks to highlight how we can deploy innovative technologies to help address developmental and health needs of women and girls.

In our part of the world, the plight of our women is ever more challenging. Women and girls have had to deal with structural inequalities in almost every facet of our national life. They are underrepresented in governance and in formal employment. Young girls in particular contend with serious health disparities that affect their growth and development.

Notwithstanding these challenges, our women and girls have throughout history demonstrated enviable strength and resilience in overcoming these structural barriers. We have seen a significant number of our gallant women break the glass ceiling and take up vital roles in national life; we have witnessed the surge in girls' enrollment in schools, and the role of our energetic women in the growth of the informal sector remains unrivaled.

As we celebrate the International Women’s Day, we must take stock of these strides and do more to leverage the power and potential of our women.

This demands that we take deliberate steps to formulate and deploy policies that reflect and cater to the unique needs of women and girls. We must do more to deploy innovative and disruptive technologies to tackle the health and economic disparities that continue to hold back the full potential of our women. We must appreciate that we cannot attain sustainable development outcomes and compete in the global arena when our woman are underrepresented, excluded, and marginalized.

It is my belief that the commemoration of this day will engender greater and more deliberate political commitment to gender equality. As a nation, we are duty-bound to take collective action and demonstrate shared ownership for driving gender parity.

It is my firm belief that we can achieve more if we care enough to bridge the inequality gap.

I wish all our gallant women and girls in Ketu North and Ghana a Happy International Women's Day.

IWD2023 #EmbraceEquity

Edem Agbana.