Ghana: Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings

From Peace FM Online:

Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, former First Lady at the weekend, observed that women are the only oppressed group in society that live in intimate association with their oppressors.

She explained that the struggle of women for equality has been a long and arduous task and asked African leaders not pay lip service to gender equity, but ensure its enforcement at all levels and spheres of society.

Nana Konadu Rawlings made the observation in an address on: “Mobilising African Women for Economic Development,” at the New York University, under the auspices of the Africa House Faculty and the Wagner School of Public Service.

The address made available to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said: “I am not here today (New York), to describe what women had to go through and continue to go through to obtain equality, but believe that some insight into the struggle of women yesterday, today and tomorrow forms part of the equation of women empowerment towards economic development of Africa,” she said.

“As President of the 31st December Women’s Movement in Ghana, I understand the problems women encounter first hand as my organisation has been at the forefront of women empowerment since 1982.”

Nana Konadu said poverty, trade and economic issues were very much related to women’s rights, due to the impact they could have in society.

She noted that gender equality and the well-being of children go hand in hand and to facilitate child survival and development.