The Paramount Chief of the Assin Owirenkyi Traditional Area, Ehunabobrim Prah Agyensaim VI, has called for the conversation on women in leadership to move beyond their capability to issues of access, opportunity, influence, ownership and impact.
He said established women leaders had a responsibility to use their influence to create opportunities for younger women to advance into leadership.
Nana Prah Agyensaim VI, the keynote speaker at the EWN@10 2026 conference in Accra, said there was also the need for a shift from mentorship to sponsorship, particularly among women already in leadership positions.
He explained that while mentorship involved advising and guiding younger women, sponsorship required leaders to use their influence to create opportunities for them.
The conference, organised by the Executive Women Network (EWN), was held on the theme: “A Decade of Leadership, A Future Towards Holistic Impact: Self & Family, Career & Legacy.”
Nana Prah Agyensaim VI called for deliberate efforts to create opportunities for talented women and build strong leadership pipelines.
He cited the role of queenmothers in the Akan traditional leadership system as an example of the influence women had in leadership selection and development.
He described women’s leadership as an economic and development issue, saying a nation that left half of its population on the sidelines could not claim to be developing.
Nana Prah Agyensaim VI challenged EWN to use its next decade to build a strong pipeline of women leaders across Africa.
EWN projects
The Executive Chairperson of EWN, Janet Sunkwa Mills, announced four projects under EWN 2.0 to increase women’s participation in leadership and decision-making.
They are the Collaborative Ecosystem, EWN Skills Catalogue, EWN VentureHer and EWN Ellevate.
The Collaborative Ecosystem will bring together strategic partners to support efforts towards gender parity in the public sector, while the Skills Catalogue will provide access to mentors and coaches for leadership development.
EWN VentureHer will support women entrepreneurs with capacity building and market access, while EWN Ellevate is enrolling 500 girls in senior high schools in Tamale for mentoring and role modelling.
Ms Sunkwa Mills urged women to support one another and create opportunities for younger women to advance.
For her part, the Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Matilda Asante Asiedu, stressed the need for institutions to create opportunities for women to take up leadership positions.
She said while mentorship provided guidance, sponsorship gave women access to opportunities and advocacy when leadership positions became available.
