ANTHONIA AYAMGA WINS MILEAD AWARD (PAGE 11, JUNE 17, 2010)

MISS Anthonia Ayamga has won the MILEAD Fellows Award for an ‘Emerging African Woman Leader for 2010’. She is one of 25 other recipients chosen across Africa.
The fellows are from 20 African countries and the Diaspora with multiple-disciplinary academic, professional and social backgrounds from public, private and non-profit sectors and the media.
The young women who are between the ages of 19-25 were picked from more than 800 applicants after they had gone through a highly competitive selection process and criteria that included outstanding leadership potential and demonstration of commitment to the advancement of women in Africa.
The awardees are to converge on Accra to begin a three-week intensive Leadership Fellow Programme at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, in July.
The programme will enable the fellows to cross-examine concepts of leadership in a broad African context, cultivate the skills and experiences women need to have and excel in leadership positions. It will also enable them gain the requisite knowledge in issues critical to African women and their communities.
The MILEAD Fellows Award is a programme committed to the long-term leadership development and promotion of African’s most promising young women leaders.
After going through a year’s training and mentoring, selected fellows progress through additional phases to equip them to receive and share life-long solidarity and support through the alumni network of the scheme.
The programme is the idea of the Nigeria and U.S.A.- based Moremi Initiative for Women’s Leadership in Africa. The Initiative was founded in 2004 and aims at engaging, inspiring and equipping young women and girls to become the next generation of leaders who can transform and change institutions that legitimise and perpetuate discrimination against women.
Ms Ayamga, 25, is from the Upper East Region and a graduate of the University for Development Studies (UDS). She is currently undertaking her National Service at the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) in Tamale.
Ms Ayamga, during her childhood, assisted the poor and vulnerable women to realise their full potential and increase their livelihood options. And in her quest to empower women, she worked as a volunteer in many female-centred organisations in the Upper East Region.
According to her, “I am also interested in building a strong foundation for rural and disadvantaged women to claim their rights as I also engage in community development and gender research issues.”