By Emmanuel Oti Acheampong
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) was created by Executive Instrument 1 (E.I. 1) in January, 2013 as a successor to the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs. The primary objective for its establishment was to have a Ministry responsible for policy formulation, coordination and monitoring and evaluation of Gender, Children and Social Protection issues within the context of the national development agenda.
The Ministry is mandated to coordinate and ensure gender equality and equity, promote the survival, social protection and development of children, vulnerable and excluded and persons with disability and integrate fulfillment of their rights, empowerment and full participation into National development.
The governing New Patriotic Party assumed office after a resounding victory on January 7, 2017. Having been active during the NPP’s opposition days and advocating strongly for women and Gender activism Hon. Otiko Afisa Djaba assumed office as the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection. Having served effectively and championed empowerment of women as part of the ministry’s mandate, Madam Otiko Djaba resigned from her post and active politics in 2018.
Madam Otiko Afisa Djaba was succeeded by Hon. Sarah Adwoa Safo, Member of Parliament for the Dome-Kwabenya Constituency.The Ministry saw some inconsistencies after the resignation of
Madam Otiko Djaba due to her success or’s absence from both parliament and office.
The Ministry was put in the care of the former Member of Parliament for the people of Bantama and the current Minister for Sanitation and Water resources, Hon. Cecilia Abena Dapaah. The President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in August, 2022, nominated the Deputy Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, and Member of Parliament for Walewale, Lariba Zuweira Abudu as Minister-designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection.
After serving in the Ministry as acting Minister for close to three months, Parliament of Ghana approved Madam Zuweira Abudu’s appointment and was sworn in on December 28, 2022 by the President of Ghana with the Member of Parliament for the Kwabre East Constituency Hon. Francisca Oteng Mensah as her Deputy.
Profile: Lariba Zuweira Abudu, (MP) – Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection
Lariba Zuweira Abudu is a JANGA-FIO native, born on May 12, 1966, to Mr. Abudu, an educator and Fio Traditional Area chief.She is a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), a Ghanaian politician and the former deputy Chief Executive officer of the Northern Development Authority. She obtained her first degree (Special Education) in 2004 and Masters in Leadership and Development) in 2015.
Hon. Lariba contested in the 2020 Ghanaian Genral Election under the ticket of the New Patriotic Party and won. She polled 32,294 votes which represents 51.21% of the total votes cast. She was elected over Abdullah Abubakari of the National Democratic Congress and Ibrahim Mubarak of the National Democratic Party. These obtained 30,615 and 154 votes respectively out of the total valid votes cast. These were equivalent to 48.55% and 0.24% respectively of total valid votes cast.
She was the deputy Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection and was appointed by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo as the acting Minister after her boss Hon. Sarah Adwoa Safo was relieved off her duties due to her absence and inconsistencies.
Profile: Francisca Oteng Mensah, (MP)- Deputy Minister Gender, Children and Social Protection
She is the daughter of Mrs. Joyce Oteng and Dr. Kwaku Oteng a doctor and a businessman who is the C.E.O of the Angel Group of Companies.
She attended three different schools during her basic and primary education. She first attended the Mamponteng Roman Catholic School, then to Revival Preparatory School at Breman and finally to Supreme Savior International where she completed her Primary Six. She completed her Junior High education at Angel Educational Complex. She then continued to St. Roses Senior High School to complete her Senior High Education.
Her insatiable quest for more academic laurels compelled her to enroll at the Faculty of Law at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) where she read law. Francisca was a second-year Law student at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology at the time she contested the elections in 2016.
Before her appointment as a member of parliament, she was employed as a Secretary at the Angel Group of Companies in Kumasi. In December 2017, she was appointed as the chairperson of the National Youth Authority.
She was appointed a Deputy Minister Designate by the President of Ghana in August together with Hon. Lariba Zuweira Abudu as her boss. She is currently the youngest Member of Parliament of Ghana at the age of twenty-nine.
Expectations
Emerging from the office of the Gender Ministry, both the Minister, Lariba Zuweira Abudu, and her Deputy Francisca Oteng Mensah have some rich experiences within the confinement of the Ministry and one could say they are abreast of the mandate of the office they have been sworn in to occupy. The Minister has served as a Deputy and the deputy has also served on the board of the same Ministry. Charged by the President to attain success and deliver on their mandate and values of the Ministry and the party, there is no doubt that these pair will record lots of success with the ministry and give the ministry back its lights that have been dimmed after the resignation of Madam Otiko Djaba.
Interesting Point:
The appointment of the Deputy Minister for the Gender Ministry by President Akufo-Addo has come with some discourse.
Political Pundits say her appointment is significant, given Mrs. Oteng Mensah’s immense contribution to the victory of the New Patriotic Party during the 2016 and 2020 Parliamentary and Presidential elections in Ghana? In fact, the Kwabre East Constituency in the Ashanti region during the 2016 and 2020 Elections general election in Ghana, gave the ruling party resounding figures that culminated in their successive victories.
