The Member of Parliament for the Kwabre East Constituency in the Ashanti Region has been recognised by the African Women Impact Summit as Africa’s Most Inspiring Lawmaker of the Year 2021.

The honour is in recognition of the MP’s performance and commitment toward transformational leadership as a distinguished parliamentarian.  

Ms Francisca Oteng became a Member of Parliament at the of age 23 as the youngest parliamentarian in Ghana on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party in 2016.

Her constituency is one of the biggest in the Ashanti Region.

Her impact in the constituency gave her a second-term victory with the highest margin among the 47 constituencies in the region.

The citation presented to her read: “You have raised the profile of young people across the African continent and your story and achievements must be used to inspire more people.”

The summit was held at the Sheraton Hotels and Tours in Abuja, Nigeria.

This year’s Africa Women Impact Summit (AWIS 2021) aims to harness, validate, and amplify the contributions of African women and their diaspora counterparts in Africa’s growth, security and prosperity.

The goals include helping to expand the African affairs workforce, advancing women’s leadership at the workplace, and promoting the critical role of the diaspora in Africa’s development.

Receiving the award, Ms Francisca Oteng Mensah expressed gratitude to AWIS for the honour done her.

“Year in, year out, I receive awards both home and away. But this is one of the prestigious awards received this year. I’m grateful to AWIS,” she said.

“Let me add that women, today, are CEOs, entrepreneurs, philanthropists and much more”.

“Our innovation and compassion allow us to be great leaders and inspire the next generation to reach greater heights than ever before”, the under-30 lawmaker said, adding: “To my fellow young women and the youth at large, be inspired to do more to make Africa a better place. Once again, I say thank you for the recognition”. 

The summit was on the theme: “The Africa we want – inclusion, leadership capacity and influence; the role of women in Africa’s economic and political future.”

Some of the persons who graced the occasion were Joyce Banda – former President of Malawi, Chief Dr Jewel Taylor – Vice President of Liberia, Dr Justina Mutale – Founder/President, Justina Mutale Foundation; Amb. Mary Beth Leonard, U.S. Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Mrs Ibukun Awosika, former Chairman, Board of Directors of First Bank of Nigeria Limited; Dr Bibi Ameenah Firdaus Gurib-Fakim, former President of Mauritius; and Dr Folorunsho Alakija, Africa’s richest woman.