Members of the Network of Professional Women in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WiWASH), have been charged by the Country Director for IRC-WASH Ghana and Board Member for Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), Vida Affum Duti, to refrain from undue competition with men in the pursuit of gender equality.

According to her, such behaviours brew unnecessary tension between men and women and render the equality agenda counterproductive.

Mrs Duti said this while delivering her keynote address on March 8, 2024, during an event organised by WiWASH to mark International Women’s Day 2024, at the Ghana Water Company Limited Head Office in Accra.

“A saying like “what men can do women can do better” causes unnecessary tension and competition. We need to be proud of the talents of women and what they can achieve and not use men’s achievements as the yardstick of what women can do,”she said.

The Country Director urged women to strive to become what they set their minds to and stop wasting their time.

Mrs Duti also advised women to guard against the popular saying that “behind every successful man is a woman” and stop being stuck in their minds to unleash their potential.

She noted that such sayings put women in the shadows of men and indicate their place as being behind the success of men.

“As women, you are not only there to support the success of men, but you are also capable of achieving your own success and you are encouraged to do so”, she said.

Other dignitaries at the event included the Managing Director of GWCL, Professor Benedicta Fosu-Mensah and Dr Rita Boateng of the University of Ghana, the General Manager for Finance and Administration and other Chief Managers of GWCL who took turns to address the women at the function.

The Network of Professional Women in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, known as WiWASH, is the Ghana Chapter of the Women’s Caucus of the Africa Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA). It is a platform for the exchange of experiences, good practices and capacity building among members, for the improvement of the water, sanitation and hygiene sector.

WiWASH was officially launched at the Alisa Hotel in Accra Ghana on July 13, 2017.

Membership of the Network is open to women researchers, engineers, technicians, administrative officers and all other professional women in the WASH sector.