Former National Women’s Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Otiko Afisah Djaba, has spoken about her decision to turn down an ambassadorial job in 2018 after she was removed as Minister of Gender in President Akufo-Addo’s first term.
In an interview on the May 2 edition of the GTV Breakfast Show, Djaba said that she has no regrets about declining the job posting to Italy and retiring from politics.
According to Djaba, the best thing that ever happened to her was being able to spend more time with her children, whom she had neglected due to work in the NGO sector and full-time politics. She emphasized that she had worked for 16 years, waking up at 2 am and 5 am to go to work all over the country, and had become an absentee mother as a result.
“It’s the best thing that ever happened to me, for me to decline going to Italy,” Djaba said.
Djaba expressed gratitude to the NPP, acknowledging that her extensive work in 98 communities would have been impossible to achieve without the party’s support. However, she also expressed her anger towards the government for the unfair treatment of caterers under the Ghana School Feeding Programme.
The caterers are currently on a nationwide strike, demanding that the government pay them their arrears and increase the amount paid per child from GH¢1.00 to GH¢3.50. Djaba, who is now a caterer under the programme, said that she fully supports the demands of her colleagues and called on the government to take action to resolve the issue.
For the most part, Djaba’s interview shed light on the personal sacrifices that come with a career in politics, particularly for women with families. She emphasized the importance of spending time with one’s children and urged women to prioritize their families, even as they pursue their careers.
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