By Rebecca Ekpe, a Gender Advocate
“That promise cannot be fulfilled until women have an equal share of voice, leadership, and power.” – Sima Bahous, UN Women Executive Director, UNGA.
The 81st United Nations General Assembly is not only providing a platform for governments to discuss the world’s most pressing challenges. It is also highlighting the growing role of women in shaping conversations on peace, development, health, education, technology and economic empowerment. For Africa, the issue goes beyond having women present at international meetings. The bigger question is whether women are participating meaningfully in the decisions that affect their lives and the future of their communities. At UNGA 81, African women have been prominent in discussions on women, peace and security. The African Union has called for greater participation of women in conflict prevention, mediation, peace negotiations and the implementation of peace agreements, particularly in relation to the crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The message is clear: women should not be seen only as victims of conflict, but also as peacebuilders, mediators and decision-makers. Health, education and economic empowerment have also featured prominently. Through the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development, African leaders have pushed for greater investment in healthcare, education, gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Dramani Mahama, has been part of this conversation, calling for stronger investment in healthcare, education and economic opportunities for women and girls. And this is important because these issues are interconnected. A girl who receives quality education is better positioned to acquire skills and participate in the economy. A woman with access to healthcare and economic resources is better able to support her family and participate in community and national decision-making.
Technology is another emerging area.
As artificial intelligence and digital transformation reshape economies and workplaces, there are growing calls for women and girls to have equal access to digital skills and opportunities. For Africa, the challenge is to ensure that the digital revolution does not reproduce existing inequalities. The conversation at UNGA 81 therefore points to a broader shift. Women are moving from being discussed mainly as beneficiaries of development to being recognized as contributors to policy, peacebuilding, technology, business and governance.
But visibility alone is not enough.
The real test is whether women’s participation translates into influence over policies, budgets, institutions and decisions.
For Ghana, the message from New York should therefore extend beyond speeches and international commitments.
It should be reflected in classrooms, hospitals, workplaces, businesses, political institutions and the digital space.
The question is no longer simply whether women are in the room.
It is whether they have a meaningful voice in determining what happens in that room.
And ultimately, whether that voice translates into measurable improvements in the lives of women and girls in the nocks and crannies of Ghana.
UNGA 81 has once again placed women’s leadership at the center of the global conversation.
For Africa, the task now is to turn that conversation into action. As explicitly encapsulated by Annalena Baerbock, former President of the 80th UN General Assembly, “If women are safe, everyone is safe.”
