When some of us started advocating for Madam Gyamfua to be elected as the party’s women’s leader, we believed in her capabilities. We trusted that she will deliver, and, yes, it appears our expectation of her was far less than what she could offer
Madam Kate Gyamfua addresses the NPP national women’s conference in Takoradi
Over the weekend, the national women’s conference of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), the first of its kind in the party’s history, took place at the Western regional capital of Takoradi.
The signature Red, White and Blue colours painted the oil city. The conference was attended by all the 275 constituency and 16 regional women organisers of the party, their deputies, all female party executives at all levels, women groups, including female Members of Parliament (MPs), renowned female clergies and apolitical women groups. Others were women metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs), female political appointees from the governing party, female volunteer groups, among others.
Volunteer ladies’ groups such as Loyal Ladies, Staunch Queens and Women’s Wing Maidens drunk from the same, cup working together to make the conference successful.
The three-day all-women’s programme, which was apparently taken over by men, was meant to whip up the political enthusiasm of the women in the party and, more importantly, get them actively involved in the party’s organisation ahead of the 2020 electioneering period.
According to the national women organiser, Madam Kate Gyamfua, the conference was to “serve as an avenue for the network of ideas and campaign strategy in the run-up to the general elections in 2020.”
Both the First and Second ladies, Rebecca Akufo-Addo and Hajia Samira Bawumia, respectively, graced the occasion as the special guests of honour.
First lady (left), 2nd Lady (Middle), Kate Gyamfua (Right) at the Conference
Publicity and preparation
Ahead of the conference, the national women organiser went on a media tour to whip up interest of party members, supporters and all those who would be interested in attending the conference. Her social media team, led by the ever hardworking Seth Nana Boampong, flooded all social media platforms with flyers, short videos and pictures to stimulate people’s appetite in the gathering.
As a true leader, who takes the lead, Madam Gyamfua proved that a good leader does not boss around, neither does she sit for others to do the work without her direct involvement.
Believing in the principle of leadership, as one who assigns duties, supervises and get herself involved in getting the job done, with the strong conviction that result is the ultimate speaker of a leader’s work, she was seen at Takoradi several days before the programme. She sometimes worked deep into the night in ensuring that the successful execution of the programme. It is therefore not surprising that the programme recorded one of the highest numbers any single wing within a political grouping can pull in the country.
Kate Gyamfua working deep into the night ahead of the conference
As the national women organiser, Madam Gyamfua has, on several platforms, expressed the unwavering commitment of her outfit to galvanizing not only the women in the NPP, but also the women of Ghana in general, to vigorously campaign for and vote overwhelmingly for the governing party in the elections of 2020 and beyond. And to her, this is a solemn pledge that must be fulfilled through all legal means possible.
The Chief of Staff addressing the Conference
A lot of hard work, thinking, dedication, resilience, among others, went into the planning and preparation for the programme, hence its huge success.
I must say kudos to the 13-member committee who helped the national women organiser in making the dream a reality.
Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, chairperson, Mrs Diana Bawuah, Mrs Naana Pele, Madam Adwoa Dokuaa, Madam Rita Asobayire, Mrs Owusu Akoto Afriyie, Madam Esther Ofori, Mrs Mawusi Nudekor Awity, Madam Janet Anann, Hon Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Hon Irene Naa Torshie Addo, Hon Gifty Ohene-Konadu and Madam Philomena Sam, God bless your hard work.
The Kate Gyamfua factor
When some of us started advocating for Madam Gyamfua to be elected as the party’s women’s leader, we believed in her capabilities. We trusted that she will deliver, and, yes, it appears our expectation of her was far less than what she could offer. As the adage goes, the taste of the pudding is in the eating. Her takeover of the women’s wing has rebranded and gingered the base of the women’s wing, making it the beautiful new maiden of the village who catches the eyes of all men, young and old.
Huge Crowd at the Conference
Ahead of the mega national conference, the women’s wing organised regional conferences in all of the 16 regions of the country. The regional conferences served as curtain raisers for the national conference. The regional women’s conferences followed a workshop conducted in Kumasi for all 16 women regional organisers and their deputies.
Madam Gyamfua also undertook a regional tour to all the newly created regions where she interacted with both party members and non-party members alike. This was aimed at mobilising and inaugurating women groups in these new regions.
Early this year, she came up with the national women’s wing’s “All Women Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving” where members of the party met at the Legon Botanical Garden to thank God for the many successes chalked by the party since forming government, and to seek God’s favour for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the government.
She then started with market visitations, and visited some key market centres in the country to educate the market women on the achievements of the NPP government.
Following the market centre visitations, Madam Gyamfua again embarked on a nationwide tour to meet with constituency and regional women organisers of the party. She used the opportunity to address some of the challenges facing the women’s wing in the various constituencies, and to ginger them up for the hard work ahead of the party.
The National chairman, Freddy Blay at the Conference
She later visited some international women’s wing branches of the party with some of her regional women organisers. Notable among the places she visited were the United Kingdom and Germany, where she sought to educate the party’s diaspora women’s wing on the achievement of the party.
She then met with all female volunteer groups in the party, to get them to synergise their energies in helping the party secure resounding victory in 2020.
One cannot be judged with a single test. Passing the national women’s conference test alone, though a huge achievement, could not have been used to judge her good works.
But following closely what she has done in the past, then as Akwatia constituency women organiser, rising to become a deputy national women organiser, and the hard work she is putting up as the current national women organiser, it is not surprising that the party people call her ‘operations’.
Kate Gyamfua, NPP National Women Organiser
She has a strong understanding of what recent day political mobilisation is, and this seems to be working perfectly in her favour in the way she conducts herself and does her things.
The NPP women’s wing is definitely not as she took it some few months ago. The women’s wing can now be regarded as the biggest mobilisation force of the party. From all indication, it is clear the women’s wing will be the face of the party’s 2020 campaign.
Indeed, the Kate Gyamfua factor is changing the face of political parties’ mobilisation in the country.
