Women In Sustainability Africa (WiSA), has been launched on behalf of all women of Africa to mark a new beginning to accelerate growth towards the closure of the SDG gaps including gender inequality.
The event, which was held at the Wesley Towers in Accra, Ghana brought together stakeholders to drive the sustainability agenda.
Speaking at the launch, the Founder of WiSA and Convener for the event, Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong, stated that the key to bridging the gender inequality gap is two pronged.
First is the recognition of women as a source of labour with positive return on every investment that is made to build capacity in women and second is men standing side by side with women to lift up and empower women.
Against the first backdrop, she said if governments invest in women, there would be a return on investment, because women a major source of labour to any economy in Africa and if she were a subsistence farmer, “now she would be doing industrial farming, that is a higher productivity and higher capacity, and the GDP will improve.”
Secondly Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong, said when God created the earth, he urged both men and women together to be fruitful, take dominion and multiply.
“Gender inequality gap cannot be closed by women alone, when God created the earth, he empowered both the man and woman together and he said be fruitful and take care of the world I have given you,” she noted.
Against this backdrop, she said if the gender equality gap can close, there must be catalytic efforts that cause a revolution in order to achieve such goal.
She said, therefore, there is a need for unity; men and women standing side by side to lift women up, because there is strength in togetherness and gain for everyone.
She said, this is the new dimension of gender empowerment and the new wave which must be propagated across Africa without any antagonism between men and women.
“That’s why it is an African agenda we need to stand together, there is strength in numbers. The door of success we seek to enter as women, the men are holding the keys to the room, if you fight with them how do we enter the room ?,” she quizzed.
Nana Yaa who is also founder of the League of Extraordinary Women said, WiSA will work with men, he for she champions, CSOs, Corporate Institutions, local and International Development Organisations to bring all women and women groups together (especially those at the grassroots level) to foster the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across Africa.
Speaking at the event, Ghana’s Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hon. Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, said, recognising the proportionate impact of climate change on women, the Ministry has developed a roadmap to strengthen the gender responsiveness of social protection programmes.
According to her, this initiative aims to ensure that their interventions are inclusive, equitable and effective in building resilience among vulnerable populations.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m pleased to use this occasion to announce that in alignment with WiSA’s vision, the Ministry will launch a campaign dubbed Women Labour Day” she revealed.
This campaign will be celebrated as part of the activities of May 1, and throughout the month of May every year.
She disclosed that in partnership with WiSA and other stakeholders, the Ministry will work towards using this campaign to nationally and continentally recognise women as sources of labour and agents of sustainability.
She said, this campaign would be rolled out in schools, media platforms and community spaces.
“Let this be more than a summit, let it be a starting point for renewed action and strengthened alliances. Let us charge forward as a united force where women are seen, heard, valued and empowered to lead sustainability,” she further added.
The Minister said, “To all men who lift women as equals, with women, we stand with you, together we will build a sustainable Africa.”
Ghana’s Minister of State in charge of Climate Change and Sustainability, Hon. Issifu Seidu, on his part said, “African women have always been the backbone of our communities, playing key roles in agriculture, healthcare, education, and the informal economy. However, their contributions remain undervalued and underappreciated in many spheres of society.”
“Today, as we launch WiSA, we take a stand to change that. Women are not just a part of the labour force—they are the driving force behind our sustainable future. From climate adaptation to community development, women’s roles are not only vital but central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he stated.
“We cannot achieve lasting environmental and economic stability unless we address the gender imbalances that still exist in many sectors, particularly in those related to climate action and green energy,” he said.
The Minister further said, WiSA’s vision to establish a Resource & Research Centre dedicated to tracking, reporting and promoting women’s contributions to sustainability could not be more timely or necessary.
Additionally, Ghana’s Minister for Labour, Hon. Rashid Pelpuo in his address said, the core of existence of any nation is the woman and the sustainability of the economy is as a result of the participation.
At all levels he had worked, he came to the realisation that to achieve success, you need both the male and female.
He, therefore, encouraged women to be conscious about the role they play in society, adding that where there is a difference and where women are disregarded, there would be a problem.
He announced that his Ministry is working to amend the current Labour law to recognise the position of women in the country’s workforce.
The flagbearer of Social Democratic Party of Nigeria, Adewole Adebayor called for a borderless Africa, where Africans can easily trade amongst themselves for economic development.
“Luckily for us, our cultural background and experiences under colonial power is the same, it is on the basis of this I will infuse Nigerian capital into WiSA. And if you’re sustainable and come with a sustainable plan we can start with a modest contribution to this programme. On that basis we can work with this programme which we can support with One Million dollars,” he concluded.
The CEO of Ghana’s Microfinance & Small Loans Center (MASLOC), in her pledged the Government of Ghana’s support to WiSA by supporting 16,000 sustainable women farmers in Ghana with loans and technical guidance to improve their trade and livelihoods.
The Programme organised by Women In Sustainability Africa (WiSA) was in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection, the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment, and Ministry of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, MASLOC, the League of Extraordinary Women Network, The UN Global Compact and EIB Network, among others.
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