The Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund, Irene Naa Torshie Addo, has been honoured, together with the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo and former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, at the 9th edition of the Ghana Women of the Year Honours 2024.
Naa Torshie was awarded for her outstanding contributions to governance.
The First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, was honoured with the ultimate Women of the Year award and former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award.
Organised by Glitz Africa, the three influential women were honoured for their exceptional contributions to society.
The event, which took place last Saturday, celebrated these women for their dedication to leadership and governance, as part of the 2024 Ghana Women of the Year Honours.
Naa Torshie received special recognition for her outstanding work in governance and seized the moment to praise the role of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in advancing women’s leadership in Ghana.
“The men out there who are creating the space and leveling the playing field for us women to also be actors,” she said, “I’d like to call to mind His Excellency the President and the Vice President for giving women in Ghana the opportunity to excel.”
WOMEN IN POLITICS
Naa Torshie highlighted the growing number of women in leadership positions across the country, citing examples like the first female Chief of Staff and women leaders in foreign affairs, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), and communications.
Yet, despite these advancements, she pointed out the challenges women still face in political representation.
“Women are not doing very well in Ghana when it comes to politics. Sometimes they don’t even make up 20% of Parliament or other spaces,” she remarked, calling for greater participation of women in politics.
In her speech, Naa Torshie acknowledged that women often have to work twice as hard to be recognised in male-dominated spaces.
She predicted a future where women would hold the highest offices in the land. “There’s going to be a day when we’ll have women president, vice president, and the whole of Parliament will be full of women,” she confidently declared.
She emphasised that the time to achieve 50 percent representation of women in Parliament is now.
DEDICATION
The former Tema West MP, Naa Torshie, also shared a personal reflection on the sacrifices she made throughout her career, especially as a single mother.
She dedicated her award to her family, particularly her daughters and apologised for the times she could not be there for her due to her political commitments.
“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 said, acknowledging the challenges of balancing politics with motherhood.
DREAM
In her remarks, she urged all young women to dream big and to prioritise their personal development.
“Dream big so that you get scared of your own dreams, but with God in your boat, everything is possible,” she encouraged.
Naa Torshie expressed her gratitude to Glitz Africa for the recognition, commending the organisation for creating a platform to celebrate the achievements of women in Ghana and for highlighting the critical role women play in shaping the future of the nation.
