Stella Saaka is a Ghanaian women's rights activist based in the Talensi district of the

Upper East region The Upper East Region is located in north Ghana and is the third smallest of the 16 administrative regions in Ghana. It occupies a total land surface of 8,842 square kilometers or 2.7 per cent of the total land area of Ghana. The Upper East regi ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

. It is known that women in the Upper East region face difficulties in acquiring land. She is however known as the only woman to have successfully convinced the traditional and local authorities to part with 29 acres of land for 30 women farmers in the Talensi District. In 2019, she was honored by Stephanie Sullivan, the U.S. ambassador with a Ghana Woman of Courage Award. She is currently the regional organizing secretary for Women in Agriculture Platforms(WAP), a government project sponsored by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The

International Women of Courage Award The International Women of Courage Award, also referred to as the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award, is an American award presented annually by the United States Department of State to women around the world who have ...

is the only Department of State award that pays tribute to emerging women leaders worldwide, in the manner that the U.S. Embassy’s Woman of Courage Award recognizes emerging women leaders in Ghana. She and the 30 women used the 29 acres of land for farming and this has helped the women generate additional income in supporting their families. Her efforts have led to a decrease in female migration during the dry season because more women are now finding ways to contribute to the economy in the Talensi district. Again, Saaka through her political engagement successfully convinced the Talensi traditional leadership to include women in the district's development and decision-making process. Up to date, she and her WAP colleagues are representatives of their district at the assembly's Medium Term Development Planning sessions.

References

Living people Ghanaian women activists Ghanaian women's rights activists Year of birth missing (living people) {{Ghana-bio-stub