The Forestry Commission Ladies Association(FCLA) in collaboration with the Human Resources Department has commemorated the International Women’s Day(IWD) by organizing a symposium . March 8 of every year, is set aside as IWD to celebrate women globally. The global theme for this year’s celebration is ” Innovation And Technology For Gender Equality.”

Director HR , Mrs Anne Brown in an opening remarks, expressed gratitude to members of FCLA for honouring the invitation and also encouraged all members to be innovative.

Speaking on the theme, Commissioner Nana Akosua Konadu Agyeman Prempeh, a member of the FC Board, encouraged members to be innovative and creative, not only in their careers but in their homes too. She highlighted that the gender equality women crave for comes with efforts, hardwork, innovation and involves women coming out of their comfort zones to make positive impacts in the society.
The Chief Executive (CE)of Forestry Commission, Mr John Allotey, added that a lot of work has to be done to achieve gender equality and made reference to the Forestry Commission Board having only one woman. “Ladies must get into leadership positions as well as develop interest in the study of information technology”,he said.
The CE spoke on the sub theme of the 2023 IWD, which is “ Embrace Equity “ , saying equality is not achievable without equity. Providing everyone with the same incentives and opportunities is very essential, he concluded. Mr John Allotey urged men to support the IWD symposium as they have females in their lives, and emphasised on the need to hear the voices of the women as men currently find themselves in situations where they have to make decisions to promote gender equality.
There was also a panel discussion on the theme where panelists spoke about how technology has affected their lives as women , both positively and negatively, and how innovation has contributed to efficiency in their lines of duty. They also highlighted on some challenges they face when learning and adjusting to new technology or innovation introduced in their lines of work, and how new technology or innovation can be gender sensitive. The panelists advised that despite technology being beneficial , it has negative sides, but the audience should capitalise on the positive sides.

The Chief Executive of Forestry Commission, Mr John Allotey; Deputy Chief Executive,Mr. Nyadia Sulemana Nelson; and Wildlife HR Manager, Ms. Stella Sanka, presented goodwill messages to the members of the Association and encouraged them to promote gender equality.

The President of FCLA who is also the Director of the Climate Change Department, Ms Roselyn Fosuah Adjei , concluded the symposium by speaking on the advantages innovation and technology has played in relation to female sexual reproduction globally and urged members to tap into that and other positive aspects of technology to make their lives comfortable.