Mrs Juliana Azumah-Mensah, Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC) on Wednesday said, the mandate for gender equality and women’s empowerment remained relevant to the socio-economic development of the country.
She said issues of women and children were not only important but critical to the development of every nation.
Mrs Azumah-Mensah stressed the need for Ghana to strengthen and capacitate institutions established to deal with challenges facing women and children.
Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony in Accra for the commencement of a five-storey office block complex for the Ministry, the Minister said the project was awarded in December 2008 at the contract sum of GH¢ 4,462,248 to Messrs Brazz Construction for delivery in 18 months.
Mrs Azumah-Mensah said, the project delayed because after the release of the advance mobilisation in November 2011, funding for the commencement of the project was not forthcoming.
She said the project was in line with the thematic area under the National Medium Term Development Framework, relating to the development of infrastructure that would yield the maximum possible efficiency and effectiveness of labour.
Mrs Azumah-Mensah said, inadequate office accommodation and facilities had been identified as one of the many challenges facing the Ministry.
She said despite the limitations facing her outfit, a lot had been achieved especially in the area of advocacy and sensitisation programmes and praised the staff of the Ministry and its Departments for the sacrifices they had made over the years to make the body more visible and more responsive to the needs of women and children.
There were solidarity messages from the United Nations System and Civil Society Organisations. **
