POWA rejects calls for Naana Opoku-Agyemang to lead on all women’s issues

The Progressive Organisation for Women’s Advancement (POWA) has rejected what it describes as disproportionate criticism of Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang on issues affecting women and girls.

The organisation argues that the Vice President’s status as Ghana’s first female occupant of the office should not make her personally responsible for every challenge involving women and girls.

In a press statement signed by its Founder and President, Victoria Lakshmi Hamah, PhD, POWA said the Vice President must be recognised and assessed as a national leader rather than being confined to gender-related issues.

“Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang is the Vice President of Ghana, not merely the Vice President for women and girls,” the statement said.

POWA maintained that her responsibilities extend to broader areas of national governance, including economic transformation, education, institutional development, social protection and international relations.

It argued that while the protection of women’s and girls’ rights must remain a national priority, expectations placed on the Vice President should be proportionate to her official responsibilities.

According to the organisation, it would be contradictory to celebrate her historic achievement while expecting her public identity and leadership to revolve exclusively around women’s issues.

“Women must be recognised as capable of leading across all sectors of national life, without being confined to matters traditionally associated with their gender,” it added.

POWA acknowledged the important role women in leadership can play in advancing gender equality and protecting vulnerable groups. However, it stressed that such responsibilities must be exercised within the framework of institutional mandates, collective governance and the rule of law.

POWA identifies institutions responsible for protecting women

The organisation pointed to institutions with specific mandates to address issues affecting women, children and vulnerable persons, including the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and the courts.

It called for these institutions to be empowered, adequately resourced and held accountable for the effective discharge of their responsibilities.

POWA said the Vice President could provide leadership, support policy reforms, promote institutional coordination and advocate stronger protection for women and girls, but should not be expected to replace agencies legally mandated to investigate complaints, protect victims, enforce the law and administer justice.

“Institutional responsibility must be respected,” the statement added.

Accountability must be fair and proportionate – POWA

POWA urged the public and political actors to distinguish between legitimate expectations that national leaders should care about women’s rights and what it considers unreasonable demands for one individual to personally account for every incident affecting women and girls.

It stressed that the Vice President, like every other public official, must remain open to legitimate scrutiny, but warned against imposing additional expectations on her simply because she is the first woman to occupy the office.

The organisation further emphasised that the welfare of women and girls is a shared national responsibility involving government, Parliament, law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, civil society, traditional authorities, families and communities.

It called on political parties to prioritise the protection and advancement of women over partisan considerations and promote a political culture in which women leaders are assessed fairly and public institutions are held accountable.

POWA said public debate on issues affecting women should contribute meaningfully to national development rather than reinforce gender-specific expectations of women in leadership.