Distinguished Chairperson,
Her Ladyship Georgina Theodora Wood, Chief Justice of the Republic of
Ghana
His Lordships and Ladyships Present,
Honourable Members of the Bar and Bench,
Students from across the county,
Our “Orange Girls” from Accra and Kumasi,
Distinguished Invited Guests, Friends from the Media, Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am excited to be part of the 9th annual mentoring programme initiated by the Honourable Lady Chief Justice when she took the high office in 2007. This mentoring programme which is aimed at exposing students to the functions of the judiciary and the administration of justice in Ghana is highly commendable as it also stimulates the interest of students who take part to aspire to greater heights in life.
The mission of the United Nations Population Fund is to deliver a world where every young person’s potential is fulfilled and we have identified with the CJ’s mentoring programme and therefore continue to provide ongoing support, because it falls in line with our mission.
We are extremely grateful to Her Ladyship CJ and the judiciary for the opportunity given us to include the Kayayei in this programme. The inclusion of the Kayayei, who were affectionately called the “orange girls” at the 2015 programme brought a new dimension to the mentoring programme and galvanized the interests of many stakeholders and well-wishers including the media in expanding the programme to address the needs of the most vulnerable out of school girls. I recall that Joy FM a popular media house in Ghana devoted prime air time to engage young Kubura Fuseini who is from Bimbilla and was part of the 2015 programme in a discussion related to issues on the mentoring programme.
Her Ladyship,
UNFPA will continue to facilitate this innovative approach that reaches out to poor and vulnerable young people, particularly girls out of school, who otherwise could not have been privileged to be part of the CJ Mentoring Programme. We believe that these girls who have currently been given the chance will also have the opportunity to engage with the Honourable Lady Chief Justice as those before them. The engagement with the CJ will provide a basis for new orange girls to obtain further knowledge and build self-worth in order to pursue further education. Indeed, an improvement in any form of the lives of these adolescent females will have a ripple effect on both their immediate families and the society as a whole.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Women, adolescents and young people are the key beneficiaries of UNFPA work. The organization also prioritizes the most vulnerable and marginalized, particularly adolescent girls, migrants, persons living with HIV, and persons with disabilities. It is therefore highly commendable that students with disability have been given the opportunity to participate in the CJ mentoring programme.
Friends from the Media,
For us at UNFPA, we work to improve the health and ability of women, adolescent girls and young people in general to participate in the decision-making process on the issues that affect their lives, whether those decisions are made at the individual, family, community or national levels. This is why UNFPA is on board with the mentoring programme which we believe will empower these young ones to do just that.
Honourable Members of the Bar and Bench,
It is our fervent wish that together, we would find means of institutionalizing this wonderful programme for the young people in Ghana because it will go a long way to benefit the nation as a whole.
Thank you for your attention.
