First female Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund, Irene Naa Torshie Addo, has offered special praise for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for their role in advancing women’s participation in leadership.
Speaking at the 2024 Glitz Women Awards Night, she commended the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, led by Nana Akufo-Addo, for its support of women.
Naa Torshie was awarded for her outstanding contributions to governance, during which she paid glowing tribute to the role of men in supporting women in leadership.
She stated, “The men out there who are creating the space and levelling the playing field for us women to also be actors.”
“I’d like to call to mind His Excellency the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Vice President for giving women in Ghana the opportunity to excel.”
Citing examples of female leadership in Ghana today, Naa Torshie said, “We have the first female Chief of Staff, women in foreign affairs, GRA, communications—to name a few.”
She urged women across the nation to join politics and make their mark, acknowledging the challenges that women face in gaining recognition.
She lamented that women are not doing very well in Ghana when it comes to politics, stressing that sometimes they don’t even makeup 20% of Parliament or other spaces.
Naa Torshie, however, emphasized that despite the hurdles, women possess the resilience to lead.
“We women have to work twice as much to be recognized in the same field, but that’s because the men are afraid of us.”
“There’s going to be a day when we’ll have women presidents and vice presidents, and the whole of Parliament will be full of women,” she confidently predicted.
“I look forward to the day when we achieve 50 per cent representation of women in Parliament—and the time is now,” she added.
Naa Torshie dedicated her award to her family, especially her daughters, and reflected on the sacrifices she made as a single mother, acknowledging the challenges of balancing politics with motherhood.
“For the times I’ve never been there as a single mother, for taking you out of the country, for all the times you wanted to share your secrets with me that I wasn’t there, I say I’m sorry. But this call is bigger than motherhood,” she stated.
She urged her daughters and all young women to dream big, stating, “Prioritize your development, dream big—a dream so big that you get scared of your dreams. But with God in your boat, everything is possible.”
Naa Torshie concluded by thanking Glitz Africa and the event organizers for recognizing her efforts and for creating a platform to celebrate the achievements of women in Ghana.
