Accra, Sept. 26, GNA - Dr (Mrs) Margaret Sackey, former ILO boss in Ghana, has been appointed the new Chairperson of the Challenging Heights Board of Directors effective September 1, 2011.

A statement from the Challenging Heights, a local NGO on Monday and copied the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said she replaced Madam Sheila Acquah-Asare, whose tenure ended early this year.

The statement said the appointment was made at the last Board meeting held in Accra last week.

Dr Mrs Sackey holds a PhD in Education and MA in International Affairs. She has obtained several certificates in the area of Gender Studies, Public Administration and Personnel Management.

She is an accomplished child protection expert having been the National Programme Coordinator for the ILO’s International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour and West African Anti Child Trafficking Project (LUTRENA) both of which focused on eliminating child labour, child trafficking and promoting child rights protection in several sectors of the Ghanaian economy.

Dr Sackey has several years of public service experience having worked in senior positions within the public service including serving as a Director at the Ministry of Information and Executive Secretary of the Ghana National Commission on Children (GNCC).

Challenging Heights is a child-centered organization established to promote education, fight against child labour, and to promote community development.

Since 2005, the organization has won six major international awards, and grown from supporting 29 children per a year to supporting over 1,100 across its programs each year. It operates in six districts namely Effutu, Senya-Breku, Agona West, Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, and Gomoa East.

Other members of the Board are Mrs. Joyce Odame, Child Rights Coordinator (Plan Ghana), Mrs. Esther Sankah, Lecturer, Central University College, Mrs. Nafi Chinery, Capacity Building Officer at the African Women Development Fund (AWDF), James Kofi Annan (Executive Director of Challenging Heights), George Essel of the MTN and Jeffrey Boyd, the Executive Director of Hovde Foundation.

The board meeting also adopted a new Challenging Heights constitution, and approved proposed organizational reforms including the abolition of the position of Executive Director, and the creation of the position of the President.

Dr Sackey was quoted as saying “I have watched, closely, as Challenging Heights started, and I am excited to be chairing its board at this critical stage of the organization’s work.”

“Such credible and powerfully led indigenous organizations are not many in Africa. Ghana indeed has a lot of future in Challenging Heights and I am determined to give off my best to steer it to achieve more laurels,” she said..