First Lady honoured with Excellence in Empowering Women and Children Award

First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo has received a prestigious award from the Africa Public Sector Conference and Awards (APSCA), which was held in Kigali, Rwanda. The First Lady was presented with the ‘Excellence in Empowering Women and Children Award’ for her outstanding contribution towards women development and fight against infant mortality in Ghana and across Africa. The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Otiko Afisah Djaba, who received the award on the First Lady’s behalf in Kigali, presented the award to the First Lady at her office in Accra. The Gender Minister said the First Lady’s impressive commitment and purpose-driven interventions over the  years towards promoting the well-being of women and children makes her deserving of the prestigious award. Otiko Afisah Djaba also said her ministry was proud of the First Lady for gaining recognition on the continent and for the consistent work in the areas of improving infant well-being, citing the Komfo Anokye Mother and Baby Unit and the on-going project at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Cancer Center, which are some of the projects undertaken by the First Lady. Country Director of APSCA Carolyn Opata also said the First Lady’s award is in recognition of the giant strides she has made in diverse ways to improve maternal and child health care in the country. According to the APSCA Country Director, the award was for people who had invested outstanding contributions to the development of their countries in Africa and recognizes the fact that her activity in this regard predates her becoming the First Lady of Ghana. The Gender Minister, Otiko Djaba, also received two awards respectively for her and her ministry for its Outstanding Contribution to Gender and Children’s Rights and for the promotion of gender equality. Other awards for Ghana were the Excellence in Electricity Service Delivery, which went to Electricity Company of Ghana, Excellence in Public Procurement and Best Practice Award was won by the Public Procurement Authority of Ghana while the Africa Public Sector CEO of the Year went to the Managing Director, Electricity Company of Ghana, Mr. Samuel Boakye-Appiah. Another Ghanaian woman, Professor Margaret Kobia, the first female Cabinet Secretary, was also honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Source: 3news.com| Ghana Follow @3Newsgh]]>