By Rachel Quartey
Deputy Chief of Staff for Administration Nana Oye Bampoe Addo has described Ghana’s Reset Agenda as fundamentally a gender agenda, urging women in the public sector to seize what she called a “rare opportunity” to redefine leadership and accelerate national transformation.
Delivering her remarks at the Second Annual Conference for Women in Leadership in the Public Sector, she said the gathering was timely as the world prepares to mark International Women’s Day in March.
“It is a period not only for celebration, especially of women in Ghana, but also for an honest assessment and renewed strategy in defining and advancing gender equality in Ghana,” she stated.
She stressed that the Reset Agenda championed by President John Dramani Mahama goes beyond political rhetoric.
“It is a call to reset governance itself, reset trust, reset institutions, and very importantly, reset the place of women in leadership and national development in Ghana,” she said. “If we are serious about resetting Ghana, then we must begin where governance lives daily, within the public sector.”
Progress and gaps
Citing data from the Public Services Commission (August 2025), she noted that women currently occupy 26 percent of managerial roles within the public sector.
In the judiciary, she acknowledged significant milestones, including three successive female Chief Justices. However, she pointed out that women account for only four out of 19 Supreme Court justices — representing about 21 percent.
At the district and lower court levels, representation stands at 50 percent, which she described as encouraging. She also highlighted the election of female leaders within the Ghana Bar Association as evidence of growing female influence in the legal profession.
“In terms of political leadership, we are the toast of Africa. We have made history,” she added, referencing Ghana’s first female Vice President and expressing confidence in the possibility of a female president in the near future.
Within the security services, she cited the appointment of the first female Chief Fire Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service and the leadership of the Ghana Prisons Service by a woman as further proof that “the Reset Agenda is not rhetoric; it is transformational.”
However, she noted that women currently make up 23.21 percent of political appointees, as government works towards meeting the statutory requirements of the Affirmative Action Gender Equity Act of 2024.
“We are steadily working towards 30 percent representation by 2026, 35 percent by 2028 and 50 percent by 2030. These targets are not merely symbolic. They are a national obligation,” she stressed.
She further disclosed that, on the sidelines of the recent African Union Summit, President Mahama reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to ratify the African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women this year.
Five reflections for women leaders
Offering guidance to women in leadership, she shared five reflections for impactful leadership under the Reset Agenda.
“Please embrace personal leadership. Leadership is not defined by title; it is defined by impact and service,” she said.
She encouraged women to practise transformational leadership by inspiring colleagues and building institutions that will outlive their tenure.
“Public service is a sacred trust. Let integrity define every single decision that you make and be guided by the 2025 Code of Conduct,” she advised, warning against corruption and arrogance in the use of power.
She also urged women not to allow stereotypes or discrimination to silence them.
“The law protects you to lead. Stand firmly with that protection and work diligently,” she said, adding that engaging traditional leaders and communities is critical to dismantling long-standing misconceptions about women in leadership.
“The time is now”
In her concluding remarks, she challenged women in public service to focus on impact rather than mere representation.
“The question before us is very simple: What impact will our current numbers create?” she asked.
“The Reset Agenda provides us a very rare opportunity not only to occupy leadership positions but to redefine leadership itself, leading by example, leading with integrity and with values.”
She urged women to use the moment to build institutions defined by courage, ethics and purpose.
“The time is now. The responsibility is ours. And together, we will build a Ghana we all want.”
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Source:
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