University of Ghana to Partner Access Bank to Enhance Women’s Empowerment
The University of Ghana is set to collaborate with Access Bank Ghana to bolster women's empowerment through the “Access Women Network” initiative.
This follows a recent meeting between Vice-Chancellor Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo and the Executive Director in charge of Retail and Digital Banking at Access Bank Ghana Plc, Ms. Pearl Nkrumah.
The two leaders discussed the network and its potential positive impact on the University community.
In providing some details on the Access Women’s Network, Ms. Nkrumah elaborated on the decade-old initiative, which has been instrumental in promoting women's issues and empowering female employees within the Bank.
According to her, “The Bank now aims to extend this impact to academic institutions, and UG, as the leading University in the country, will be a good place to start.” She added, “As the patron for Ghana Access Women Network, I decided to come myself to look at how we can do more with this initiative beyond what the group has proposed.”
Ms. Nkrumah further revealed that the Bank has been providing free training to University of Ghana students annually, through internships, to prepare them for job opportunities at Access Bank. The Access Women’s Network initiative, she mentioned, has been crucial in ensuring gender inclusivity and fairness in selecting student trainees.
In her response, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo commended the Bank for such an initiative targeted at empowering women and expressed her enthusiasm for the initiative to be replicated at the University.
She proposed an integration of the initiative into various university programmes such as the Vice-Chancellor’s Academic Awards and the Student Financial Aid scheme. The Vice-Chancellor further suggested that it should not only focus on the Business School but also extended to disciplines such as engineering and the various programmes in the humanities.
Prof. Amfo highlighted the importance of sustainable support for women that engender their holistic development, particularly in areas of leadership.
Also in the meeting was Mrs. Lydia Anowa Nyako-Danquah, Director of the Academic Affairs Directorate, who represented the Registrar. She praised the initiative for its potential to benefit female students. She mentioned the Bank’s ongoing acceptance of UG students for internships and suggested additional support for the Vice-Chancellor’s One Student One Laptop (1S1L) initiative.
The Access Women Network (AWN) is designed to foster unity and collaborative support among female employees at Access Bank. The Bank's partnership proposal includes awarding the top female graduating students in banking-related fields a cash prize of one thousand dollars and inviting the top two graduating females to a career fair organised in collaboration with Fortune 500 companies. The initiative aims to empower
the next generation of female leaders and create resilience among young women, ultimately breaking the cycle of poverty.
The meeting also included Ms. Grace Dsane-Boni, Access Bank Business Head, Legon Branch; Ms. Arhizah Blay-Abiti, Senior Assistant Registrar, Vice Chancellor’s Office, UG and Ms. Pascaline K. Songsore, Senior Assistant Registrar, Public Affairs Directorate, UG.