The Ghana Armed Forces ( GAF ) is working with the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training College on a student engagement programme to enhance female participation in the nation’s military enterprise.
Engaging with senior high and tertiary institutions, the campaign, powered by international organisation, the Elsie Initiative Fund, is seeking to break male dominance of the ranks, and promote inclusivity in the armed forces.
Group Captain Theodora Agornyo, the Gender Advisor to the Chief of Defence Staff, addressing students during the event at Mawuli School in Ho, spoke of the need to increase women participation in combat roles, and said it would enable the perspective of the gender to feature more in decision making.
She said survey confirmed the low participation of women in UN missions among others, and the minimal representation at policy levels, and was therefore crucial to break gender misconceptions.
“Most positions in the army are held by men, and we want to increase women participation,” the Gender Advisor told the students.
The Elsie Initiative Fund targets young girls and was established when a group of countries came together to support women in peace keeping missions.
The campaign met with schools across the Region, and students were taken through the arms and branches of the army and introduced to the various functions and career opportunities available.
Students got to fill out questionnaires that test their interest and knowledge of the Ghana Armed Forces.
There were also radio engagements in the various districts the team sent the campaign to.
Mrs. Agnes Agbevadi, Senior Programmes Officer at the Women, Youth, Peace, and Security Institute of KAIPTC, asked women not to be limited by gender, saying it remained only a perspective and thus they deserved to be given every opportunity.
Mr. Francis Yao Agbemadi, the Volta Regional Director of Education, urged women to take advantage of the military and its career prospects in elevating the gender.
GNA
MA/AD
February 22, 2024
Pic attached
