Interview: Ghana's former First Lady hails China's leadership in women's empowerment

Ghana's former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Accra, Ghana, Oct. 14, 2025. (Photo by Seth/Xinhua)

by Justice Lee Adoboe

ACCRA, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Ghana's former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings hailed China's leadership in advancing women's empowerment worldwide in an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Tuesday.

Agyeman-Rawlings, wife of the late Ghanaian President Jerry John Rawlings and a member of Ghana's high-level delegation to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, said China has set an example through its holistic approach to human development, ensuring equal opportunities for men and women and broad access to education for children.

From its domestic policies promoting gender equality to hosting the 1995 conference and the recently concluded Global Leaders' Meeting on Women, China has consistently demonstrated its commitment to women's empowerment, she said.

Reflecting on her 1995 visit to Beijing, Agyeman-Rawlings recalled that while many countries then lagged behind in enrolling girls in school, she observed that nearly every child in Beijing -- male or female -- was attending school. "They were all doing very well," she said.

She further noted that China was the right choice to host the 1995 conference given its progressive gender policies, adding that African and other developing countries supported China's hosting.

"We saw the conference as something that was going to help women and children. And when women and children develop, a country develops," she noted.

Agyeman-Rawlings described the conference as a landmark success. "Most countries have systematically followed the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the recommendations provided," she said.

She also lauded the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women, which concluded on Tuesday in Beijing, stressing the significance of reviewing global progress under the Platform for Action after 30 years.

"I think that countries will be truthful about what is, what was, and what maybe could have been. And I'm looking at it from the point of view of countries being thorough and honest about how far we've been able to go with women's issues and children's issues," she added.

Beyond the conferences, Agyeman-Rawlings said Ghana had sought to follow the standards set by China and succeeded in achieving gender parity in school enrollment through policies that encouraged parents to send their daughters to school.

According to her, Ghana had also made notable progress by outlawing female genital mutilation (FGM), advancing women's economic empowerment through childcare-supportive schools, and promoting female entrepreneurship.

Ghana's FGM ban and public awareness initiatives had inspired similar efforts across other Sahel countries, she added. ■

Ghana's former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Accra, Ghana, Oct. 14, 2025. (Photo by Seth/Xinhua)