Savings and Development Dialogue, Ghana (SDD Ghana) has called on stakeholders to move beyond the rhetoric of International Women’s Day celebrations and take bold actions to address both micro and macro level issues confronting women globally.
In a statement issued to mark International Women’s Day on Friday, March 8, 2024, Dr. Sadat Salifu, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the SDD-Ghana, emphasised the need to confront structural, cultural, and institutional barriers that hinder women’s access to economic, social, and political resources.
Dr. Salifu highlighted that while significant efforts have been made globally to empower women through programs, policies, and legislation, there is still much work to be done to ensure true gender equality.
Preventing marginalisation, underrepresentation
In the statement, he stressed that these efforts should not be seen as favors to women but as essential steps to rectify years of marginalization and underrepresentation.
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, “Investing in Women: Accelerating Progress,” underscores the importance of addressing systemic barriers and investing in women’s empowerment to drive sustainable development.
SDD Ghana specifically called for expedited action on the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill in Ghana, stressing that legislative measures must be accompanied by conscious efforts to address the multifaceted challenges facing women.
SDD Ghana urged stakeholders to broaden the scope of the debate beyond urban women and to prioritize the needs of marginalized women, including those in rural areas. The organization emphasised the importance of understanding and addressing the diverse needs of different groups of women, including rural and urban, literate and non-literate, to ensure inclusive and sustainable outcomes.
SDD Ghana also congratulated all women for their contributions to progress at the family, community, and national levels. It reiterated its commitment to working with like-minded agencies to enhance inclusivity and fairness for all.
About SDD-Ghana
Savings and Development Dialogue, Ghana (SDD Ghana) envisions a world where diversity inspires actions to create opportunities and enhance inclusion for all people facing barriers.
The organization combines inclusive and sustainable development initiatives, research insights, and policy influence to transform lives and communities.
SDD Ghana operates a hybrid model that implements micro projects while generating evidence and conducting information analysis to support development efforts. The agency adopts The agency adopts innovative, inclusive and inspiring (3is) approaches to tackling development challenges.
It uses a double-edge approach aimed at incorporating a business case to social development and specific solutions directed at reducing vulnerability.
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