Ms Stella Saaka is a teacher in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region
The United States Mission in Accra on Tuesday, honoured Ms Stella Saaka, a Teacher in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region, as the Ghanaian Woman of Courage for 2019.
The award, was in recognition of her resiliency in promoting the voice of women in decision-making, and enhancing their economic well-being in Northern Ghana.
Ms Stephanie Sullivan, the U.S Ambassador to Ghana, at breakfast meeting in Accra, presented to her with a certificate, a citation, a plaque and an appreciative gift from the U.S Diplomatic Missions.
She applauded her for exemplifying the highest traits of citizenship and courage, and for being a powerful force for women’s rights in her district where land was granted through patriarchal inheritance.
Ms Sullivan explained how this exemplary leader stood out among the U.S Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Northern Ghana Governance Activity participants, to address the broad issue of access to land in one of the densely populated districts in the region.
Ms Saaka, she said, was the only woman who pushed the boundaries and long-held traditional customs by involving local chiefs and sparking the conversation on why it was so important for women to have access to land.
She said this was very significant, because, land tenure consisted of a layered system of traditional tribal ownership that had historically marginalized women, and despite the challenges, she was successful in persuading the local Chief to allocate 29 acres of land to 30 women in the district, a breakthrough, which had brought positive changes to the lives of the beneficiaries.
The U.S Ambassador further acknowledged her for the representative role as the Regional Organising Secretary for “Women in Agricultural Platforms”, for more than 1,170 women across several platforms, engaging political and traditional authorities on acquisition of productive lands and resources for women-led agricultural production.
Ms Sullivan said the great courage exhibited by the awardee in her political engagement with traditional authorities, and for convincing the Talensi leadership to include women in the district’s development and decision-making process was commendable.
As a result, Ms Saaka and her Women in Agricultural Platform colleagues, now represent their district at the Assembly’s Medium Term Development Planning sessions, which afforded them an opportunity to contribute to their own development, she said.
She said the remarkable record of achievement towards improving lives in her district was not just for women, but also for families, and these facilitated the U.S Embassy’s recognition for what had been obvious to her community for a long time.
Ms Sullivan said these actions actively empowered the women in her community to access productive resources and to ensure that their voices were heard by decision makers, and urged other Ghanaian women and girls to learn about this story, and craft their own journey to make a difference.
She gave a brief history of the U.S Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award, which was in its 13th year, and aimed at honouring women around the world who had demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equality, and women’s empowerment, often at great personal risk and sacrifice.
She said it has since its inception in March 2007 recognised more than 120 women from more than 65 countries, and that each year the U.S diplomatic Missions overseas may nominate only one woman from their respective countries.
Ms Sullivan said women’s economic empowerment was a key component of the U.S government’s dedication to gender equality, and that the untapped potential of this group remained a lost opportunity for economic growth and development the world could ill afford.
Women’s economic participation she said, promotes agricultural productivity, enterprise development at the micro, small, and medium enterprise levels, business management, returns on investment, boost economic growth.
Hence, investing in women, produces a multiplier effect as they reinvest a large portion of their income in their families and communities, and also play key roles in creating peaceful and stable societies, which were important factors for economic growth, she said.
Ms Saaka thanked the U.S government for the honour bestowed on her, and the continuous support for women empowerment and capacity building.
She narrated how through their advocacy, land tenure security for women, the provision of a tractor for women, the training for female tractor operators had now become priorities for the District Assembly as well as traditional and political authorities.
