The First Lady, Mrs Lordina Mahama, on Monday underlined the need to put premium on the socio-economic and political empowerment of women.

She said issues affecting their welfare and development needed to be given more prominence.

Mrs Mahama, who was on a day’s visit to Kumasi, was addressing a meeting with some queens at the Prempeh Assembly Hall.

She noted the significant contribution women were making to the economy in the various sectors - agriculture, health, education and the environment and said the government would ensure that the right policies were in place to help develop their knowledge and skills to make them more productive.

Mrs. Mahama said this would assist to bring down the high rate of poverty and ignorance among them.

She called for intensification of efforts at fighting all forms of cultural beliefs and practices that impeded their progress.

She used the platform to canvass for votes for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), saying the party had a long-standing record of working to improve the lives of women and the youth.

Mrs Mahama praised the queens for what they were doing to transform the situation of the women in their communities through community skills-training programmes such as soap-making, batik, tie and dye, and the formation of virgin clubs.

Dr. Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah, the Regional Minister, encouraged young women to avail themselves of employable skills and training programmes initiated by the government to become economically self-supporting.

The first lady had earlier interacted with some head porters in Kumasi, urging them to enroll for the youth employment programmes including the Local Enterprises and Skills Development Programme (LESDEP).

She donated to them 10 bags of rice, a quantity of edible oil and pieces of cloth to the porters.