Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey
The Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has recounted how she unexpectedly found herself in politics, attributing her journey to divine orchestration and community influence.
Speaking in a recent interview with Joy News, she admitted that politics was never part of her plans.
“If it is not divine orchestration, then I will say that I stumbled on it. It was not something I planned for. Sometimes, people who know me from the past express their surprised over the fact that I ventured into politics. They never anticipated that I would be associated with politics, because I was an introvert when I was growing up,” the Member of Parliament for Krowor said.
Recounting her journey in politics, she stated that it all started with her involvement in church outreaches and charitable works.
As a devoted member of the Assemblies of God Church, she said her activities in the Christian and civil society spaces eventually led her to coastal communities, where she worked closely with fishmongers.
It was during this period that her life took an unexpected turn.
“I was teaching them about leadership. We were having a modular training program on women’s leadership. Then the opportunity came for me to serve as a Chief Executive… They said, ‘You’ve been teaching us that we can start from the local government level, and there is this opportunity, so we want you to go so that we know it is doable.’ That completely threw me a curveball,” she recalled.
Faced with the choice to step up or risk disappointing the very women she had inspired, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey embraced the challenge and entered the race for the position.
“I also knew it was a challenge. If I don’t take it and go for it or even try, they were going to get discouraged. So, I took on the challenge and contested. They were with me throughout. I mean, they never left me. Sometimes they would go with me,” she said.
Although she did not secure the appointment at the time, due to her perceived lack of partisan visibility, she took the outcome in stride.
The panel believed they needed someone who was more immersed in the political structure and well-versed in the dynamics at the local level.
“I didn’t feel bad. I took it in good faith but after subsequent attempts they realised that I had pushed enough and gave me the nod,” she said.
JKB/VPO
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