The Ambassador of France to Ghana, H.E. Diarra Dime-Labille led a delegation to pay a courtesy call on the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hon. Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, to discuss areas of collaboration in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.
The Ambassador said the visit was intended to strengthen the existing relationship between France and Ghana and explore areas where both countries could work together. She noted that gender equality remains an important component of French foreign policy and expressed interest in understanding the Ministry’s priorities and identifying areas where French support and ongoing projects could align with Ghana’s genda agenda.
She highlighted women’s entrepreneurship and agriculture as areas with significant potential for collaboration, particularly in promoting innovation, food security and economic opportunities for women. She also referenced ongoing initiatives supporting women entrepreneurs and expressed the hope that such efforts could continue to incorporate strong gender considerations and contribute to sustainable development.
Welcoming the delegation, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey expressed the Ministry’s appreciation for the visit and said the issues raised fell within its core mandate. She noted that although gender is often treated as a cross-cutting issue across institutions, this can sometimes result in gender concerns being overshadowed by broader sector priorities.
The Minister therefore emphasised the importance of placing gender at the centre of programmes that seek to empower women economically. She noted that women have long played significant roles in agriculture, often informally, and stressed the need to ensure that they are not left behind as sector becomes more formalised and technology-driven.
She said the Ministry would be pleased to work with the French Embassy to ensure that investments in such initiatives achieve lasting impact.
Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey further encouraged the French delegation to engage the Ministry early in the development of programmes with gender dimensions. She cited the proposed 2027 Women Economic Empowerment Programme as an area where collaboration could be explored from the planning stage, rather than bringing the Ministry in after key decisions have already been made.
She also invited the French Embassy to share relevant gender action plans and programme documents with Ghana’s gender priorities. The Minister noted that the Ministry support public institutions and local-level structures in developing and implementing gender plans and also monitors progress through reporting mechanisms.
Hon. Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey further pointed to Ghana’s National Gender Policy as an important framework for guiding interventions on gender equality and women’s empowerment. She said aligning proposed interventions with national priorities would help strengthen ownership, coordination and sustainability.
The meeting ended with both sides expressing interest in identifying practical areas of cooperation and strengthening collaboration to advance opportunities for women and promote gender equality in Ghana.
