President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has noted that scaling up the empowerment and the expansion of opportunities for women are key to achieving sustainable development and prosperity for Ghana and the African Continent.

He said women were central actors in national growth, thus meeting the challenges of empowering them and ensuring gender equality "is one of the best ways of mitigating poverty and guaranteeing the progress and prosperity of our country and continent."

President Akufo-Addo made this known at the first Gender and Development Initiative for Africa (GADIA) Advocates Charge Awards held at the Flagstaff House in Accra.

The GADIA Advocates Charge (GACH) Awards is a flagship initiative established by the President who is an African Union Gender Champion to support sustainable gender equality and increase the participation and progress of women within the private sector.

The awards will be conferred on a specific number of prominent businessmen across the Continent who would be charged by the President to take concrete and measurable steps within their respective companies to enhance gender equality over a particular period of time.

Noting that women were mainstreamed in every economic sector of the country, President Akufo-Addo said the promotion of gender equality at the work place, particularly in the private sector, was a prerequisite for socio-economic development.

He said Ghana, and for that matter Africa, could not eradicate poverty without paying attention to and addressing the needs of women, who statistics indicated overwhelmed the population.

That was why, the President said, his administration had instituted policies aimed at rapidly increasing Ghana's future prosperity and creating a valued-added economy expected to create the necessary number of high-paying jobs that would improve the living standards of the people, especially women.

Government, he said, would ensure that it stimulated Ghana's private sector growth and made gender equality part and parcel of business, as women were a central part in every rapid development narrative.

The President charged the awardees to ensure that they promote gender equality in their respective corporate environments as the country and the Continent worked towards inclusive growth to unleash the potential of its peoples.

He further urged the top echelon of corporate entities to increase their support for greater freedoms for women and their participation in decision-making as they (women) could significantly lower Africa's myriad of growth challenges.

Eight notable business people and entrepreneurs were awarded for promoting gender equality in their businesses. They would be required to espouse the importance of women inclusion in all aspects of national development.

They were Mr Roy Aboku, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ocelot/Investa Capital, Dr Kofi Amoah Abban, CEO of Rigworld Services Limited, Dr Zibrim Yamusah, CEO of Yamusah Group of Companies, Dr Kwabena Adjei, CEO of Kasapreko Company Limited, and Dr Yaw Adu Gyamfi, CEO of Danpong Group of Companies.

The others were Dr Osei Kwame Despite, CEO of Despite Group of Companies, Mr Albert Osei, CEO of Koko King Limited, and Mr Kwasi Twum, Founder and CEO of Multi-Media Group Ltd.

President Akufo-Addo also conferred on the Guinean leader and outgoung Chairperson of the African Union, Professor Alpha Conde, the GADIA Achievement Award for demonstrating "excellence and innovation" in the pursuit of gender equality on the Continent.

President Conde's award was received on his behalf by Guinea's envoy to Ghana.