A Co-Principal Investigator for the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) Project, Dr. Mary-Magdalene Pedavoah, has emphasized that discussions on women’s empowerment must shift from equal opportunities to equity. She explained that women face unique challenges that require targeted interventions rather than uniform treatment.
She made the call during a two-day capacity-building workshop for women held at the C.K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (CKT-UTAS) in Navrongo. The workshop, organized under the theme “Advancing Women in Leadership,” brought together female academics, students, and professionals from diverse backgrounds to strengthen their leadership skills and confidence in career advancement.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Pedavoah explained that while equality aims to give everyone the same starting point, equity ensures that everyone has the necessary support and resources to reach the same destination.
“The gap we realize is that we are given fair opportunities, but what we are looking for is not equal opportunity — we are looking for equitable opportunity because we face many barriers that hinder our progress.
If you say a man should bring seven papers for promotion and a woman should bring seven papers, I am combining these seven with a master’s and PhD I pursued over ten years with four children. My male colleague will likely progress faster because he doesn’t face the same family and social challenges. So, we are saying flexibility should be built into such systems for women,” she explained.
She added that addressing these inequalities requires deliberate policy actions, mentoring structures, and institutional reforms that acknowledge women’s realities, particularly in male-dominated sectors such as science, technology, and academia.
“For this workshop, you will notice that although the theme is Advancing Women in Leadership, we have many men participating. In the boardrooms where top decisions about women are made, we don’t have enough women there — men often make those decisions for us,” she noted.
The MESTI Project, which she co-leads, is a research initiative under the Mainstreaming Gender in Ghanaian Higher Institutions of Education (MAGGIE) program. It seeks to address persistent gender disparities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The research promotes gender equity and inclusion by examining challenges faced by women in these fields and empowering them through education, innovation, and leadership.
According to her, the MESTI grant, secured in 2023 by the Principal Investigator at KNUST, focuses on assessing gender issues in three universities — KNUST, Takoradi Technical University, and CKT-UTAS.
Participants at the workshop engaged in sessions on leadership and confidence building, policy literacy, IT literacy, academic visibility, and work-life balance, facilitated by experts and women leaders from various fields.
A participant, Grace M. Bawa, Registrar of the School of Science and Mathematics Education, described the program as eye-opening and transformative.
“Honestly, this program has been very impactful. We have not regretted attending. I never knew how powerful AI tools could be for our work. The sessions have been amazing, and we hope management organizes more of such programs to build our careers,” she said.
Another participant, Ametus Dinye, School Officer for the School of Agriculture, expressed gratitude to the President of Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (WiSTEM) at CKT-UTAS and to the Principal Investigator at KNUST for what he described as an “impactful program.”
“I really appreciate the efforts of Dr. Mary-Magdalene Pedavoah. What started as a small idea has grown into something truly fruitful. Today’s world demands efficient leadership supported by strong AI knowledge, and this training has equipped us well,” he remarked.
The two-day workshop forms part of a broader initiative by CKT-UTAS and its partners to promote gender-inclusive academia and encourage more women to pursue leadership and research careers in science and technology.
As the workshop concluded, one message resonated clearly — equality may open the door, but equity ensures everyone can walk through it.
Source: a1radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Samuel Adagom|Navrongo
