Ayekoo to all women as we shine the spotlight on the remarkable women achieving great heights! Why is 8^th March so special for women? Because the world gets to celebrate women’s feats, raise awareness about women’s equality and advocate for gender parity.

International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated annually and presents an opportunity to reflect on the achievement of gender equality in the world. The occasion is used to assess the changes and progress made towards the attainment of gender equality generally.

One may ask if we still need to devote an entire day to women. Haven’t we already achieved enough? The day is still key and relevant as women continue to break barriers and change the status quo in every corner of the world. Women are playing critical roles in the society every day, and what used to be male dominated are now being spearheaded by women.

Women are now heading government, multinational companies, academia just to mention but a few. They are not just part of the workforce but becoming titans of industries. Women are becoming bolder to go for certain key positions that over the years have been occupied by men.

For 2021, the IWD campaign is themed #ChooseToChallenge. A challenge world is an alert world. It explains that individually, we're all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day.

We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women's achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world.

As we work towards creating an inclusive world when we choose to challenge ourselves with our actions every single day, there is a special and big responsibility on women who have risen to the top to challenge themselves and be accountable in making a difference by helping other women and shaping them to fulfill their dreams and reach the top.

Women who have achieved greater heights should keep sharing their stories and experiences as wisdom for tomorrow’s women achievers. And to give them a sense of optimism and the will to keep going. They must serve as beacons of hope for others who have not figured out what they want and learn from them.

It is commendable to see the rise of women’s groups and networks here in Ghana and beyond, providing the platform to learn, inspire and empower each other. Women in PR Ghana, Executive Women’s Networks just to mention but a few.

In so doing the challenge of women being underrepresented in positions of power will be overcome and surely, they will gain a fair place to fulfill their potentials.

Happy International Women’s Day.