The British High Commission, in collaboration with the French, Norwegian, and Swiss Embassies, will today Friday, March 17, unveil the winners of the ‘Ambassador for a Day’ competition. The winners were Wihemlmina Lawerh-Lawerh, Tipagya Yahaya, Umar Wasila and Martha Allotey. The competition is in its second year after its introduction in 2022 as part of celebrations for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Africa Gender and Equalities Month and aims to inspire young girls to become leaders and agents of change. The four young girls, who emerged as winners of the prestigious competition, would get to spend a day with High Commissioners and Ambassadors to gain a better understanding of what it meant to lead and work in a diplomatic mission. This was in a statement issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the British High Commission and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra. The United Nations Women estimate that globally we will not reach gender equality in the highest positions of power for another 130 years. Across the world, the UK government is working with other nations and civil society organisations to hold Ambassador for a Day competition. In Ghana, the British High Commission in partnership with CAMFED, Plan International Ghana, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) launched their own Ambassador for a Day competition in February. The Ambassador for a Day competition provides the winners with an opportunity to spend a day with a full-time Ambassador. Each winner would also receive long-term mentoring and care from the Mission they work with. Together British High Commissioner, Harriet Thompson, Norwegian Ambassador, Ingrid Mollestad, French Ambassador Jules Armand Aniambossou and Swiss Ambassador Simone Giger have spent the last month reviewing the applications before deciding on the four winners. Congratulating the winners, British High Commissioner Harriet Thompson said: ‘Today of course we celebrate our amazing winners, but we also celebrate every single woman who applied, we celebrate our incredible partners: CAMFED, Plan International Ghana and UNFPA, and we celebrate women and girls the length and breadth of this country. ‘This competition reminds us of the need for equity, the need to create space for equality so that men and women around the world can stand shoulder-to-shoulder’. ‘This year we celebrate Ambassador for a Day as the UK launches a new Women and Girls Strategy, putting gender equality firmly at the centre of everything we do.’ The competition, now in its second year, forms part of the British High Commission’s ‘Africa Gender and Equalities Month’. Throughout March the Mission is marking and celebrating gender and equality by holding roundtables and seminars, sharing the work of partners and holding discussions to interrogate, learn from and understand more about gender and equality in today’s Ghana. Speaking ahead of the event Norwegian Ambassador, Ingrid Mollestad said: ‘Together, we believe the programme will help to bridge the gender inequality gap and support the empowerment of women in Ghana. ‘I am excited about spending the day with one of the inspiring winners, congratulations to them all,’ she said. The four winners will join the four Ambassadors and representatives from CAMFED, Plan International and UNFPA at the British High Commissioner’s Residence in Accra to formally announce the winners and celebrate their success. Ahead of the award, one of the winners Yahaya Shekuratu Tipagya said; ‘As an Ambassador for a Day, I have a strong desire to learn from experienced diplomats, thrive in a fast-paced and challenging environment, and develop skills that will contribute to my education and career” Another winner Umar Wasila also said: ‘During my shadowing experience, I am hopeful to learn about the Ambassador’s role, understand what an Ambassador does and the day-to-day functions at the High Commission-” The competition would provide a platform for marginalised young women to become leaders and advocates for change. They would have the opportunities to voice their opinions and share their ideas on how a gender-equal future can be.
Source: Ghana News Agency
