Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has lauded China's sustained progress in advancing women's development, saying the country has remained a global leader in promoting gender equality since the adoption of the landmark 1995 Beijing Declaration.
Mahama was speaking in an exclusive interview with the China Media Group (CMG) which aired on Friday. The Ghanaian President visited Beijing back in October to attend the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women, and also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his trip.
Mahama said China's achievements over the past three decades have demonstrated strong national commitment and concrete action in empowering women.
He also spoke highly of Xi for convening the meeting and for his leadership on the global gender agenda.
"I want to commend President Xi for championing the cause of women and calling this Global Leaders' Meeting on Women to review the progress that has been made in respect of women across the world. President Xi gave the keynote. He mentioned the advances that women have made all across the world, including in China, and also mentioned the gaps that exist in terms of accelerating women's empowerment and equality," said Mahama.
"I give a bit of a report card of Ghana. President Xi of course had given a report card on China, and women have made quite serious advances here in China. In Ghana, our women have also advanced quite well. Currently we have gender parity when it comes to enrollment in school -- as many girls are going to school as boys. Before, it wasn't the same. Aside from that, women have made advances, held some of the top government positions," he added.
Official data show that women in China account for more than 43 percent of employment, nearly 46 percent of the science and technology workforce, and roughly one-third of participation in digital trade, e-commerce and live-streaming sectors, reflecting their expanding role in the country's economic and innovation landscape.
Mahama said these achievements underscore China's strong commitment to upholding the Beijing Declaration and driving gender equality forward.
"China, because it was home to the Beijing declaration, has made quite serious advancements in accelerating women's empowerment. That's admirable. And I believe that we should be proud of what China has done," he said.
Meanwhile, Ghana continues to pursue advances in gender equality based on its own national circumstances.
"In our country, we're trying to push women empowerment and I think that women have made very serious advancements in Ghana. Women dominate business and trade, and so when you come to the area of commerce, marketing goods and all that, women dominate that sector. In education, like I said, more women are going to school and staying in school," said the Ghanaian president.
Ghanaian president commends China's "admirable" progress on women's development
