SGCI Gender and Inclusivity Initiative, Ghana: reflections on the journey

GHANA: Cephas Mensah, Deputy Director of Science, Technology and Innovation in the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and focus person for the Science Granting Council Initiative (SGCI) Although the Ghana Science Granting Council (SGC) had an existing policy on gender that conformed to official government policy, the SGCI Gender & Inclusivity (G&I) project has encouraged a deeper commitment to gender-related issues and the mainstreaming of gender in all aspects of the scientific enterprise. In this interview, Mensah reveals how, at the start of his involvement in the G&I project, he was conscious of being one of very few men among several women in the project. Over time, however, it became clear that gender issues are not the domain of women only. On the project's challenges, he lists the need to merge policy and practice, raise the visibility of women in science and the need for an enhanced communication strategy to highlight the broad relevance of G&I. Today, men are championing gender issues in society to a greater extent, he says. "We want to see that shift translating into the science, technology and innovation arena. We want to increase the number of women in STEM and have more women in senior research positions. We are also looking at working more closely with other councils."