Telecel Ghana has held the second edition of its highly anticipated Women 100 Power Connect event, celebrating the stories and resilience of women who have taken the less trodden paths in their careers.
As the climax of the telecommunications giant’s International Women’s Month celebrations, the event brought together a hundred of the country’s influential women from diverse sectors to connect, network, and collaborate.
Themed “The Road Less Travelled,” the event spotlighted women who have made unconventional career choices and overcome the obstacles that have traditionally kept women out of male-dominated fields.
The powerhouse speakers at the Women 100 Power Connect included Ghana’s third female Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, the second female Director General of Ghana Prisons Service, DGP Patience Baffoe-Bonnie ESQ, and the first female Operations Director at Tullow Oil Ghana, Dr. Lina Sowah. These distinguished figures shared personal stories, touching on themes of perseverance, courage, and the vital importance of encouraging leadership among women.
In her opening remarks, Ing. Patricia Obo-Nai, CEO of Telecel Ghana, reflected on the importance of creating a supportive ecosystem where women are empowered to dream big, challenge the status quo, and ultimately light the path for others to follow. “We believe that if more accomplished women share their stories of grit, courage, bold strides and passion, they will create a roadmap for younger women to follow. At Telecel, we believe that sharing these extraordinary stories has the power to transform futures, and in doing so, empower generations of women to come,” Ing. Obo-Nai said.
Telecel Ghana’s Women 100 Power Connect is part of the telco’s industry first Women in Business initiative, with the objective of cultivating a nurturing ecosystem that accelerates growth for women-led small to medium scale enterprises (SMEs). The Telecel Women in Business initiative provides tailored resources including access to loans, insurance, rewards, capacity-building opportunities, and increased visibility.
Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Torkornoo chronicled her life story from Cape Coast to rising to the apex of Ghana’s judiciary, demonstrating the influence of her dad at every stage of her ascent in the judiciary. “I became a lawyer because of my dad’s influence as a child. At every stage of my promotion within the judiciary service, I got his blessing and support. He has been one of my defining motivations in public service,” her Ladyship said.
In her speech, the Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service recounted her challenging journey to becoming a recruit in the service in 1987 and rising to her current position within 37 years.
“The road less travelled is never smooth – it is riddled with challenges and self-doubt but also paved with the opportunity to create meaningful change,” DGP Baffoe-Bonnie said. “I want to make the prisons service more accessible and enabling for women as compared to when I became a recruit when female staffing was limited by the quota system.”
Although the early stages of being a geologist in the extractive sector coupled with starting a family were challenging for Dr. Lina Sowah, she believes that staying focused, being consistent and building your inner strength were instrumental in her success of becoming the first female to head operations at Tullow Oil.
“I would advise everyone to stay humble and build a supportive network of family and friends as they will help you through your challenging moments,” Dr. Sowah said. “Naturally, life may turn you upside down and inside out but if you make the right decisions, you will stay afloat.”
Some key highlights of the Women 100 Power Connect included the poignant traditional poetry recital on the theme evoking the challenges and triumphs of women forging their own paths, ripples of positivity where women exchanged positive words of affirmation and lighting the path with candles which signified paving the roads less travelled for more women to follow.
The networking sessions that followed were intimate, allowing attendees to engage in conversations centered on empowering women in leadership and forging connections that will continue to fuel the momentum of the gathering.
The Women 100 Power Connect, which forms part of the Engage pillar under the Women in Business initiative, is aimed at nurturing meaningful connections and empowering women leaders to collaborate and advance each other’s success. Through initiatives like Women in Business, Telecel Ghana continues to demonstrate its commitment to driving gender equity and uplifting women businesses across the country.
Tawa Bolarin, Director of Enterprise Business at Telecel Ghana said by spotlighting women who have chosen non-traditional career paths, it will help to dismantle the barriers that often limit the possibilities for others, calling on more women to join the network. “Our CEO is one of the women on the road less travelled as she manages a multi-billion-dollar telecommunications company. I urge all women to support Telecel by joining the network and female-led businesses signing up to the Women in Business initiative to help accelerate their enterprises.”
