About the Project

WEE, funded by the Hewlett Foundation, is a nationwide project on women’s economic empowerment that features research, policy engagement and network-building among women’s rights organisations and key female figures in Ghana’s world of business and finance as well as policy makers. It is a three-year project that seeks to advance gender-responsive policymaking and achieve a critical mass of economically empowered women in Ghana. To achieve this goal, the project’s co-leads, in partnership with policymakers and the Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT) as well as key female figures in business and finance will work to strengthen collaboration among researchers, policymakers, and WEE advocates. It is led by a team of feminist social scientists together with early career researchers and post-doctoral fellows all of whom are committed to working together to produce evidence and co-create policy solutions to positively change the economic fortunes of Ghanaian women.

We are excited about this project for several reasons. First, this project creates a unique space for grassroots women’s organisations and key female figures in business and finance to work alongside researchers and policy makers to rethink the nature of policy making in Ghana for positive impact. This is particularly timely given the economic difficulties Ghana is currently facing. Second, this project offers the opportunity for the development of an inter-generational, multi-disciplinary network of Ghanaian scholars attuned to the ways in which policy impacts the lives of everyday people. Finally, this project provides a novel opportunity for communicating the nexus between policy-making and our everyday lives using a variety of both traditional and new media tools such as articles, blogs and film. Ultimately, we are confident that this project will result in outcomes that will be felt positively in the lives of ordinary Ghanaians. We encourage you to visit this site often and engage with us as we embark on this exciting project.

Institutional Profile of NETRIGHT
The Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT), started in 1999, is a coalition of civil society organisations and individuals located across the country. Its main mission is to promote women’s rights in Ghana through the critical analysis of the gender dimensions of national processes and policies and advocacy for the requisite policy change. The network is considered a credible women’s rights organisation in the country both nationally and internationally. The organisation was the only one invited by the Constitutional Review Commission to offer submissions on changes to the Constitution from a gender perspective. The organisation also worked with the Parliamentary Sub-Committee on Land in its revisions of the land laws in Ghana culminating in the Land Act of 2000. Its work is supported by many international donor agencies of credible repute.