The Executive Women Network (EWN), a leading network dedicated to inspiring, empowering and supporting women in senior management and executive positions, will mark its 10th anniversary with the EWN@10 Conference & Expo, scheduled for October 1 and 2.

The event will take place at the Palms Convention Centre in Accra.

Held under the theme "A Decade of Leadership, A Future Toward Holistic Impact," the two-day conference and expo will bring together accomplished women leaders, business executives, entrepreneurs, professionals, policymakers and other stakeholders from Ghana and across Africa.

They will have conversations about leadership and meaningful impact across three main areas: Self & Family, Career, and Legacy.

The milestone event will celebrate a decade of EWN's contribution to advancing women's leadership, while creating a platform to examine what the next decade should look like for women seeking to make a lasting impact in their careers, families, organisations and communities.

Founded in 2016, EWN was established to create a community where women executives, both corporate and entrepreneurial, could connect, share knowledge, support one another and collectively contribute to greater gender representation in leadership.

Over the past decade, the Network has grown into a community of over 200 women leaders, with its work extending beyond professional networking to include mentorship, leadership development, policy advocacy, and community impact.

Through initiatives including EWN Ellevate, Empowered Women, Sister to Sister engagements, partnerships and collaborations as well as community-focused programmes, EWN has worked to nurture the next generation of female leaders, impacting over 9,500 women while creating opportunities for them at different stages of their professional journeys.

EWN Ellevate, in particular, focuses on developing leadership, technical skills and confidence among young girls to ensure they are better prepared for their future careers.

The initiative has supported mentorship programmes involving hundreds of students, particularly in Northern Ghana. Since its launch, EWN Ellevate has reached over 600 girls in Ghana's Northern Region.

EWN has also partnered with institutions including the University of Ghana and the African Science Academy for student mentoring, while supporting initiatives aimed at empowering women and children through its community engagements.

A decade of leadership, a conversation about the future

The EWN@10 Conference & Expo will use the anniversary as an opportunity to reflect on the progress made over the past decade, while confronting the realities and opportunities that will shape women's leadership in the years ahead.

The theme's three dimensions — self and family, career, and legacy — are intended to encourage a more holistic conversation about success and impact.

Rather than viewing leadership solely through the lens of professional achievement, the conference will explore how women can build fulfilling careers while nurturing personal wellbeing, family relationships and the values that create lasting legacies.

The event will also give participants opportunities to network, learn, exchange ideas, discover products and services, and build meaningful professional connections through its conference and exhibition components.

Some of the speakers expected at the conference include Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi, Sheila Mika-Premo, Margaret Jackson, Komla Buami, Madam Yang Yang, Dr Stella Agyenim-Boateng, Udo Maryanne Okonjo, Grace Krobo-Edusei, Theodore Albright, Dzigbordi K. Dosoo, among others.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Chairperson of the Executive Women Network Executive Committee, Janet Sunkwa-Mills, said the 10th anniversary was an important opportunity to celebrate the women who have contributed to the Network's journey and to look ahead to the work that remains.

"EWN@10 is a moment to reflect on the kind of leadership we want to champion for the next decade. We believe women's leadership must create impact not only in organisations, but also in families, communities and society.

This anniversary gives us an opportunity to have those important conversations and inspire the next generation of women leaders."

The EWN@10 Conference & Expo is expected to serve as a major Pan-African platform for knowledge exchange, relationship-building and the celebration of women's leadership.

EWN@10 is in partnership with MTN and supported by Telecel, Absa Bank, ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, CBG and Ecobank.