By Lydia Kukua Asamoah<\/p>\n
Accra, Sept 22, GNA \u2013 The First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has urged African first ladies to ensure they mainstreamed the needs of persons with disability into the strategic focus of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD).\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was speaking during an OAFLAD meeting held on the side-lines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, to discuss the strategic focus of the organisation for the next two years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mrs Akufo-Addo called for greater efficiency and commitment in OAFLAD\u2019s fund raising efforts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She charged her counterparts to consider using advocacy as a fund-raising mechanism to support causes that challenged existing problems and drew attention of strategic partners and funders for support.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She commended the OAFLAD President, Mrs Monica Geingos, First Lady of Namibia, for leading the organisation with renewed energy, building on the foundation laid by her predecessors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mrs Geingos, on her part, tasked first ladies to use their offices in strategic ways that empowered women and engendered development in Africa.\u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile, all the first ladies pledged to continue the advocacy on issues of concern to African women.\u00a0<\/p>\n They\u00a0 agreed to prioritise and streamline the strategic focus of the organisation to make them more impactful and measurable.\u00a0<\/p>\n They also agreed on the need to increase visibility of the organisation by deploying both traditional and social media in a more purposeful manner.\u00a0<\/p>\n The first ladies discussed how to attract strategic partnerships and build relationships to facilitate access to technical support and critical assistance for their work.\u00a0<\/p>\n As part of the 20th\u00a0 anniversary celebrations of OAFLAD, a fundraising event would be held in the Democratic Republic of Congo.\u00a0<\/p>\n OAFLAD has been working\u00a0 over the years to support efforts at eliminating HIV\/AIDS in Africa.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the last four years it had broadened its ambit to include other developmental issues that focused on the wellbeing of women and the vulnerable populations in Africa.\u00a0<\/p>\n In attendance were the first ladies from Botswana, Cote d\u2019Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Zambia and Zimbabwe.\u00a0<\/p>\n Also present were partners from the Buffet Foundation, the Ford Foundation and other international Non-Governmental Organisations.\u00a0<\/p>\n GNA\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/whatsapp-image-2022-09-22-at-6-45-31-pm-1.jpeg\")
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