Its due time women are given the platform and opportunity to take up the mantle of leadership and steer the country in governance, Okyenhene of Akyem Abuakwa, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori-Panin has said.

After 60 years of power and governance by men he says, it is only fair and deserving that women are equally given a fair chance and trusted with the affairs of the country as far as leadership is concerned.

"It is us men who have led this continent for 60 years maybe it is time for us to look at our mothers and sisters and trust them enough to let them run the ship because everywhere you look when women are educated, its most likely their children are going to be educated."

He was speaking on the theme "Women’s Leadership: Honouring the Past, Treasuring the Present and Shaping the Future" as the keynote speaker at the International Sheroes Forum, held at the Labadi Beach Hotel, Thursday, 17th, 2018.

Okyenhene emphasized the importance of creating room for change and diversity even amidst opposition and resistance.

"Choice is what God gave us and we let our women manage the homes..…I believe it is time for us to change, most ideas of change would attract opposition and it would attract some followers. We should not be afraid of that.’’

He bemoaned the situation where leaders of the country are blinded by selfish interests, greed and corruption, disregarding the impact of their actions on society and the country at large.

"We don’t want to change, we are here because most of our leaders have been the ones who defend the status quo, we are here because we have picked up this disease, greed, induced mental illness of accumulating material wealth more often with no regard to that accumulation or consequence on the rest of the society.’’

"The thing that bothers me is that how do you steal the monies from here and give it to the man who ones colonized you… how dare we?’’



According to Okyenhene, it is time the country invests in girl child education rather than wait for the Affirmative Action Bill to give women their rightful privileges in society.

"We don’t have excuses anymore, we can’t blame it on our colonial masters, we can’t say that it is imperialist faults, we can’t say that World Bank cheated us, when we began to have our sovereignty, it means we are in control of everything and that is why we need to make investments in education, and also in the girl child education. We need to understand that the world has changed.’’

"There shouldn’t be an affirmative action for a woman to get a job that she had worked hard for and qualified for, it must be a matter based on meritocracy.’’

Osagyefo, however, noted that Ghana does not need an insensitive and heartless leader but one who would disregard personal interests, fight corruption and help manage the nation. He believes women are in the right position to play such a role.

"There ought to be an insensitive, heartless leader to do this, we have plenty, God has already done his, we need to manage it well."