Ghana’s first female Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), Irene Naa Torshie Addo, Irene Naa Torshie Addo has praised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for their role in advancing women’s participation in leadership.
“The men out there who are creating the space and levelling the playing field for us women to also be actors.
“I will 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,” she added.
Naa Torshie gave the acknowledgement after she given an award by Glitz Africa for her outstanding contributions to governance by Glitz Africa.
She was given the award at the 9th edition of Glitz Africa last Saturday together with the First Lady Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo and former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings.
The Ghana Women of the Year Honours and celebrates both the Ghanaian indigenous and diaspora women who are making great impact in the society.
Citing examples of female leadership in Ghana currently, 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.
DACF Administrator lamented that women are not doing very well in Ghana when it comes to politics, stressing that sometimes they don’t even make up 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, 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 percent 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—dream so big that you get scared of your own 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.
