Chairperson of the Upper West Regional Ghana Red Cross Society, Maria Johana Yuorpor, has been appointed Director for Business Development and member of the Global Governing Council of the Young African Women Congress (YAWC) Network.

The news of her appointment was contained in a statement signed by the Founder and the Executive Chairman of the Network, Daniel Osei Tuffuor, last Friday, in which he congratulated the astute woman and wished her the very best for the future.

The YAWC Network is a fraternity of young women of African descent living in Africa and in the diaspora, who seek to be empowered and be themselves, change-makers for leadership and development on the continent.

At the heart of its mandate is the mobilisation of women from the grassroots level for leadership and development through advocacy, training and projects.

The appointment of Madam Maria Johana Yuorpor, therefore, is in line with the Network’s aim of attracting and working with the best of individuals, especially women achievers, from across various fields to impact African women both at home and in the diaspora.

As a member of the YAWC Network Global Governing Council, she will be responsible for participating in the provision of strategic oversight and decision-making on behalf of the Network, typically by actively participating in meetings, reviewing key performance indicators, setting policies, and ensuring the organisation aligns with its mission and vision while collaborating with the leadership to achieve organisational goals.

Some of her key responsibilities under this role also include strategic planning; policy development; financial oversight; and leadership selection and evaluation.

Also, in her capacity as the Director for Business Development for the Network, she is expected to lead and drive the Network’s growth strategy while developing and implementing initiatives to expand its revenue.

Additionally, she will be expected to develop and execute business development strategies aligned with the Network’s long-term goals; establish, nurture, and grow strategic relationships with key stakeholders, including clients, partners, and industry influencers; work closely with senior leadership members to ensure alignment on growth initiatives and resource allocation as well as negotiate and close high-value contracts and partnerships to meet revenue goals, among others. 

Her appointment to both roles is for a period of two years, which is renewable after completion of a tenure.

Madam Yuorpor Profile

Madam Maria Johana Yuorpor holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology with Philosophy, as well as a Masters of Philosophy in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of Ghana, Legon.

She also holds diplomas in Human Resource Management, Marketing, Strategic Management and Customer Care – all from the Institute of Commercial, Management in the United Kingdom (UK).

She has recently been offered admission by Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business  Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS) in Wa, Ghana to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Development Management and Governance.

As a tutor at the School of Continuing and Distance Education, University of Ghana, Legon, Wa Centre, she tutors students from level 100 to 400 who pursue Psychology in various courses, as well as inspiring, motivating and guiding their studies.

Through her mentorship regimes, she has been able to empower a significant number of young women and men to grow their businesses of which some have won awards at regional and national levels.

She is currently the Upper West Regional Coordinator for the Northern Development Authority; Board Chairperson for Tieme Ndo, an NGO working with rural farmers in the Upper West Region; and a board member for the Coalition for Positive Impact (CPI), a non-profit organization committed to investing in and developing African Youth into transformative business leaders and entrepreneurs through innovation, mentorship and technology.