Gratitude, Fulfillment and A Sense of Accomplishment at CEGENSA’s Maiden Mentor Appreciation Event

At the Centre for Gender Studies and Advocacy’s (CEGENSA) maiden mentor appreciation event, organised with support from the African Women's Development Fund (AWDF), in commemoration of the 2024 International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration, twenty-eight (28) academic mentors, nominated by early and mid-career female faculty of the University were honoured.

Explaining the rationale for celebrating the mentors, the Director of CEGENSA, Dr. Deborah Atobrah, noted the Centre’s role in promoting mentorship within the University, as a strategic pursuit for fostering gender equity. She highlighted the mentorship strides achieved by CEGENSA and the setbacks including the enormous demands that mentoring places on mentors.

Director of CEGENSA, Dr. Deborah Atobrah

“Mentors make sacrifices to support and nurture mentees, a pursuit which does not count in the formal appraisal of one’s work, albeit extremely critical for the very sustenance of the academy”, she said. Dr. Atobrah also emphasized the decision in not calling the event an awards event because no award can match the selfless labour of mentoring. “We therefore call it a celebration and appreciation of your distinguished mentoring work”, stated Dr. Deborah Atobrah.

Representing the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Gordon Awandare, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Academic and Student Affairs, pointed to the progress being made in women’s leadership within the University, with reference to the historical all female Principal Officers and the attainment of the female to male student gender ratio.

Prof. Gordon Awandare, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Academic and Student Affairs presenting a citation to Emeritus Prof. Ernest Aryeetey, former Vice-Chancellor.

“Despite the progress, there is still a lot of work to be done”, lamented Prof. Awandare. He elaborated on the need to stir up the interest of women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) related courses. Prof. Awandare emphasised giving more women equal opportunities as men to propel them to greater heights.

Participants at the event

Dr. Doreen Owusu-Fianko, Global Vice-Chairperson for North and West Africa for Women in Logistics and Transport (WiLAT), who was the Chairperson for the event, congratulated all the mentors and praised CEGENSA and AWDF for spearheading and acknowledging the tremendous efforts of the mentors.

Dr. Doreen Owusu-Fianko, Global Vice-Chairperson for North and West Africa for Women in Logistics and Transport (WiLAT)

In brief remarks, Prof. Dan Frimpong Ofori, Provost, College of Humanities, encouraged the honourees to continue to look out for and mentor more female faculty.

Prof. Dan Frimpong Ofori, Provost, College of Humanities presenting a citation to one of the honoured mentors

On her part, Mrs. Beatrice Boakye Yiadom, representative of AWDF, indicated that in accordance with the 2024 IWD theme –Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress, her outfit decided to award grants to 10 women led organisations in Ghana including CEGENSA to keep the issue of investing in women and girls on the radar in Ghana.

The heartwarming ceremony evoked the feeling of gratitude, love, accomplishment and fulfillment among the mentors and mentees, with the latter acknowledging the role of the former in guiding them to win grants, publish papers in internationally acclaimed journals, which has led to their promotion in record time. The mentors were presented with citations and hampers.

One of the beautiful highlights of the event was when mentees who had nominated mentors, were also nominated by others as mentors. The ceremony was interspersed with choral and beautiful cultural performances by Lordina the Sopriano and the Ghana Dance Ensemble.

A group photograph of the honoured mentors 

At the end of the ceremony, the mentors, represented by Prof. Akosua A. Ampofo, Prof. Akosua K. Darkwah and Prof. Charlotte Wrigley-Asante extended appreciation to the organisers and their mentees. They drew attention to the intentionality of mentoring and encouraged others to reach out to more female faculty in particular.

LIST OF MENTORS HONOURED AT THE CELEBRATION AND APPRECIATION CEREMONY.

• Emerita Prof. Elizabeth Ardayfio-Schandorf, former Head, Department of Geography and Resource Development
• Emeritus Prof. Ivan Addae Mensah, former Vice-Chancellor
  Emeritus Prof. Ernest Aryeetey, former Vice-Chancellor
• Prof. Emmanuel Kweku Osam, former Pro-Vice-Chancellor
• Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Vice-Chancellor
• Prof. Akosua Adomako Ampofo, former Director, CEGENSA & Institute of African Studies
• Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo, former Dean, School of Information and Communication Studies
• Prof. Adobea Yaa Owusu, Past Head, ISSER Social Division
• Prof. Esther Sakyi-Dawson, former Head, Department of Nutrition and Food Science
• Prof. Akosua Darkwah, Dean, School of Information and Communication Studies
• Prof. Charlotte Wrigley- Asante, Head, Department of Geography and Resource Development
• Prof. Angela Ofori-Atta, former Head of Department of Psychiatry
• Prof. Michael Tagoe, former Acting Provost of the College of Education
• Dr. Lilian Akorfa Ohene, Head, Department of Community Health Nursing
• Prof. Richmond Nii Okai Aryeetey, Head, Population, Family, and Reproductive Health Department
• Prof. Wazi Apoh, Dean, School of Arts,
• Prof. Kwadwo Owusu, Director, Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Studie
• Dr. Priscilla Twumasi Baffour, Department of Economics
• Prof. Irene Kretchy, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Pharmacy
• Prof. Jemima Anderson, Director, Pan African Doctoral Academy
• Madam Cecilia Adjei, Senior Lecturer, School of Performing Arts
• Prof. Daniel Frimpong Ofori, Provost, College of Humanities
• Prof. Awo Mana Asiedu, Acting Director of the School of Performing Arts
• Prof. George Boateng Kyei, Director of the Medical and Scientific Research Centre, UGMC
• Prof. Dorcas Osei-Safo, Vice-Dean, School of Graduate Studies
• Prof. Emmanuel Kwasi Torpey, Dean, School of Public Health
• Dr. Efua Vandyck, Senior Lecturer, Department of Family & Consumer Science
• Dr. Millicent A. Cobblah, Senior Lecturer, Department of Animal Biology and Conservation Science