The Institute of African Studies in conjunction with the Takemi Programme in International Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has organized a one-day symposium at the J. H. Nketia Conference Hall under the theme “Girls in the SDG Era: Equity, Education and Health”. The event sought to address the myriad of issues plaguing girls with respect to the aforementioned theme.
The symposium kick started with an address from the Director of the Institute of African Studies, Prof. Dzodzi Tsikata who outlined the aim for organizing the symposium. This, she noted, was to reignite research into girls in the SDGs, alert policy makers and arm advocates with the requisite knowledge to induce change.
Director of the Institute of African Studies, Prof. Dzodzi Tsikata
The Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Tsutomu Himeno expressed his delight at the organization of the symposium due to the manifold benefits accruing thereby.
Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Tsutomu Himeno
Delivering the key note address, Prof. Uche Amazigo, Professor of Medical Parasitology and a Public Health Specialist, charged the participants to educate girls to stay in school. She reiterated the importance of Institutional advocacy aimed at keeping girls in schools.
Prof. Uche Amazigo delivering the keynote address
The event continued with a host of carefully crafted valuable speeches from seasoned professors, scholars and public servants discussing various topics such as Social Justice and Sexual Rights, Reorienting Health Systems to Promote Good Health, Wellbeing and Equity in Ghana, Girls, HIV and the 90-90-90 Target, Unsafe Abortion among Adolescents in Accra, Sexual Violence and Discrimination just to mention a few.
The event ended with an award ceremony for the Best Poster on Girl centered issues, won by Ms. Dorothy Tekaiwa with a good number of participants taking up the challenge in putting together thorough presentations.
Present at the symposium were Dr. Jesse Bump, Executive Director, Takemi Programme in International Health, Harvard University; Ms. Onyinye Onyemobi, Programme Associate, West Africa Ford Foundation; Ms. Lola Dare, Chief Executive Officer, Centre for Health Sciences Training, Research and Development; Prof. Albert Awedoba, Research Professor at the Institute of African Studies, Members of Faculty, staff, University of Ghana students as well as students from Holy Trinity Cathedral Senior High School.
