Secretary-General of Socialist International pays courtesy call on Speaker

Benedicta Lasi, Secretary-General of Socialist International, has paid a courtesy call on Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin at Parliament House in Accra.

A statement issued by the Public Affairs Directorate of Parliament and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Monday said the meeting was part of an effort to bring to the fore, the pressing issue of empowering more Ghanaian women into leadership roles at the international level.

It said during the meeting, Lasi expressed gratitude to Speaker Bagbin for his immense mentorship and support during her formative years in politics, which had brought her thus far.

She commended the Speaker for the leadership he had demonstrated in promoting the ideals of women's inclusion in the governance architecture of the country and urged women not to be cowed by threats and insults from male opponents.

The Speaker thanked Madam Lasi for the visit and congratulated her for setting the remarkable three-pronged record as first woman, first African and youngest person to be elected to lead the 132-member organization at age 35.

“If I had a magic wand, I would have pushed every woman into political leadership and eliminated all forms of discrimination meted out to women in their quest to enter politics,” he said.

Speaker Bagbin emphasized that women who can break the odds despite the struggles they faced to make Ghana and the continent proud must be celebrated and supported to succeed.

He assured the Secretary General of his support and that of parliament to ensure she leaves an indelible mark in her new portfolio.

The Socialist International is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties, which seeks to establish democratic socialism.

It consists mostly of social-democratic, socialist, and labour political parties and organisations.