First Lady Mahama urges more investment in health, education and women's economic empowerment

Pinned summary · as of 06:02

Ghana's First Lady, Lordina Dramani Mahama, has asked African governments and international partners to direct more funding into healthcare, schooling and the economic empowerment of women. She made the appeal in New York, at a gathering held alongside a meeting of the African First Ladies' development body, OAFLAD, which took stock of its first quarter-century.

What we know

• Mrs Mahama, Ghana's First Lady, appealed to African leaders and global partners to put more money into healthcare, education and women's economic empowerment, with the aim of securing a more prosperous future for the continent.
• She spoke in the "Passing the Baton" segment of a high-level OAFLAD gathering hosted at the Ford Foundation's social justice centre in New York.
• The gathering, which centred on the legacy of women's leadership and results for women and girls, drew African First Ladies and one First Gentleman, and looked ahead to where OAFLAD should head over its next 25 years.
• Mrs Mahama recalled that OAFLAD was set up close to a quarter of a century ago, at the height of the HIV and AIDS crisis, which demanded urgent and united leadership across Africa, and she said that same spirit is still needed.
• She said Africa needs sturdy health systems that reach every mother and child, bringing maternal care together with HIV prevention, early screening and nutrition.
• Health policy cannot stand alone, she argued. "Health cannot be addressed in isolation," Mrs Mahama said, naming schooling, women's incomes and gender equity as the ingredients of healthier families and stronger communities.
• The First Lady said Ghana remains committed to weaving maternal health services, opportunities for young people and gender equity into its national plans, to leave nobody behind.
• She asked the other First Ladies present to draw on the organisation's shared influence and to build stronger partnerships worldwide.
• Mrs Mahama said quality care, dignity and a chance to earn a living should be treated as guaranteed rights of every African woman and child rather than benefits reserved for a few.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  The Publisher Online wrote that the event considered the group's course for the coming quarter, which differs from other reports that spoke of the next 25 years.
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  Ghana News Online and The Publisher Online reported that Mrs Mahama called for collective leadership to continue as challenges facing women and children persist; other reports of the speech do not mention this point.
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  The Custodian alone reported her remark that a healthy mother, a girl kept safe in school and an empowered woman each have ripple effects that lift whole communities and national prosperity.

Why it matters for Ghana

Maternal and child health, girls' schooling and women's incomes are everyday concerns in Ghanaian households, from Accra to Tamale. Statements by the First Lady at international forums signal the priorities Ghana is bringing to donors and partner governments. Whether they turn into funding or programmes will depend on decisions that have not yet been announced.