The President of Women’s Network for Peace Ghana, Diana Oppong Mensah says the contribution of women is vital to a nation’s development and its democratic governance.

Delivering a speech at the end of the 2021 Women in Politics Training Programme, she noted that women who have knowledge on the fundamentals of Ghana’s democratic system and its law making process are well-equipped to contribute their quota.

Miss Mensah who is this year’s valedictorian explained that the programme has brought together women from different political parties and spheres; playing various roles in leadership to help communities, constituencies, Ghana and the world at large.

“The 10 modules of study during this training enlightened us greatly in various aspects of leadership and other soft skills. We graduands of Women in Politic Training Programme 2021 are well positioned in contributing our quota to nation building.”

Again, the valedictorian stated that the “active participation and involvement of women at the decision making levels in our governance structure and systems should be critically examined since our role cannot be over-emphasized.”

She insisted that Ghanaian women are capable and have long been ready, for that reason "gender biases will not stop us from helping to develop Ghana."

Miss Mensah further stated that since the country is young at democracy, conscious steps need to be taken to grow its democracy, transform the fortunes of citizens and make Ghana a better place for the next generation.

The Network for Peace Ghana President also admonished women to be STEM-focused when choosing programs of study in schools and to settle on career paths that pay more just as men do.

As part of her speech, she expressed gratitude to the organisers for providing women this 'thought through capacity building training programme'.

“A big thank you to all the amazing facilitators and support staff. We appreciate your resources and exceptional relationship with us over the period.

"We thank our families and various political parties for their support in believing we can learn and impact the society,” she added.

The Women in Politics Training Programme is organized by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), Abantu for Development and Women in Broadcasting (WIB).

The training which was initiated in 2015 seeks to bring together women from all the political parties already playing a role and women in broadcasting who have the power to direct political discussions and interrogate national issues.

Also, it encourages women to take up leadership roles wherever they find themselves to influence policy direction at the top level and ensure gender sensitivity at the decision making level.