Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Ghana Limited, Julian Opuni, has disclosed that it is high time women stopped holding back and fight for a place at the ‘table of men’.
In an interview with Eunice Tornyi on e.TV Ghana’s African Women’s Voices, he said, “I think it is important that women don’t pull themselves or hold themselves back as a result of the realization that men always have a seat at the table. It means that in certain instances, the battle is a bit harder but it’s really around being focused and creating your own personal brand.”
According to him, women should be about having a result driven environment that will help them create and impact others positively.
He believes the issue should not always be about gender because, “I always say competence is not gender based. Competence is also impacting on others and if you know you have that competency and you have the skills to drive it, you need to focus on it and move forward with it.”
He stated that although there will be battles and challenges, he is of the view that the reality of success and life is the battles and challenges because these make us stronger.
“Therefore the more challenges and battles you go through, the more likely the higher the success story and that is not any different for the women,” he said.
He added that it is also important for women to understand not just themselves but also the reality of the part that they play in the development of society.
“Another reality that I need us to understand is that we have moved very considerably from the world and I think we shouldn’t forget that. You should sometimes pause and see that even in our Ghanaian setting, there are women on board and in strong places that alone is evidence of the level of process that women have made in the world,” he shared.
Julian furthered that sometimes, it is important we just stop and count all the success, and make sure that we champion those who have actually made it to create that sense of giving other women something to look up to, and create strong mentors in that environment.
By: Gyamfuah Owusu-Ackom