She Triumph Conference 2026: Women Challenged to Turn Their Wounds, Dreams and Skills into Lasting Legacies

Women and girls have been challenged to move beyond conventional definitions of success and deliberately build legacies that transform lives, create opportunities, and inspire others to persevere through adversity.

The call was made at the fourth edition of the She Triumph Conference 2026, held on Saturday, September 26, at the La Palm Royal Hotel in Accra, under the theme “Her Blueprint; Her Legacy.”

The conference brought together women, young people, entrepreneurs, mentors, educators, and other stakeholders for a day of inspiration, learning, networking, and empowerment.

The event featured Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee, Executive Director of Salt & Light Ministries, as Keynote Speaker and Special Guest of Honour, alongside other distinguished speakers including Rashida Saani, Chief Executive Officer of I-ZAR Group; Mrs. Mary Anane Awuku, Executive Director of Brain Hill International School; and Whitney Boakye-Mensah, Founder of My Dear Sister’s Keeper.

‘Legacy is how you breathe through pain’

Delivering an emotionally charged address, Whitney Boakye-Mensah challenged participants to rethink what it means to leave a legacy.

She said legacy should not be understood merely as wealth, titles, businesses, or possessions left behind after death, but as the impact a person makes while alive.

“Legacy is not what you leave behind. Legacy is how you choose to breathe through pain while you’re still alive,” she said.

Drawing from her personal experiences of loss, healing, motherhood, and purpose, Boakye-Mensah said women should not be ashamed of their scars or difficult experiences.

She described healing as a process that does not necessarily erase pain but enables individuals to understand and live beyond the experiences that once threatened to break them.

“Healing is not the absence of scars,” she said, adding that healing comes when a person can look at their scars and recognise the places where life attempted to destroy them.

She encouraged women who were still navigating difficult seasons in their lives to give themselves permission to heal while refusing to allow their painful experiences to define the limits of their future.

“Stop hiding behind your story. The story is not your shame. It is your weapon,” she told participants.

From pain to purpose

Boakye-Mensah further urged women to recognise that purpose does not always emerge from comfortable experiences.

She shared how her personal journey through fertility challenges and loss eventually contributed to the establishment of a community aimed at supporting women experiencing fertility struggles, miscarriages, and stillbirths.

According to her, people can discover purpose when their deepest wounds become a source of compassion and service to others.

“Legacy is who you healed because you were once wounded. Legacy is who you carried because once you let out a cry, you also bring somebody along,” she said.

She also encouraged participants not to wait until they had perfect conditions before pursuing their dreams.

“Start it now. Start it broke. Start it while you are still healing. Purpose does not wait for perfection,” she said.

‘Start small, but start’

A major theme that emerged during the interactive session was the importance of starting small and growing deliberately.

Mrs. Mary Anane Awuku shared her entrepreneurial and educational journey, explaining that what may appear small at the beginning can eventually develop into something much larger.

She disclosed that the school she currently runs on Boundary Road began in a three-bedroom house with a capacity for about 40 people but has since expanded into three campuses with a combined capacity of about 3,000 students.

The lesson, she said, was that entrepreneurs should not allow the size of their initial resources to determine the size of their dreams.

“You start by talking to one person. You get one customer. You get two people. You get ten people. That is how the growth comes,” she said.

She urged aspiring entrepreneurs to remain positive and consistent, learn from competitors, and identify what makes their businesses unique.

The speakers also stressed the importance of financial discipline, reinvestment, and understanding the difference between revenue and genuine profit.

Participants were encouraged to build their ventures progressively rather than waiting indefinitely for large amounts of capital before taking the first step.

Women encouraged to confront barriers

The conference also provided a platform for participants to ask questions about the challenges women encounter in business and professional life, including age-related stereotypes, social expectations, and sexual harassment.

Speakers encouraged women to develop the confidence and resilience needed to navigate such challenges while continuing to pursue legitimate opportunities.

They also emphasised the importance of women supporting other women by opening doors, sharing knowledge, creating networks, and connecting emerging talents with opportunities.

The discussion reinforced one of the central messages of She Triumph—that empowerment is strengthened when women do not only succeed individually but deliberately create pathways for others.

She Triumph: Four years of empowering women

Speaking in an interview on the sidelines of the conference, Convener of the She Triumph Conference, Lady Mrs. Deborah Borketey-Tackie, popularly known as Derby Queen, said the initiative was established to empower young women between the ages of 18 and 35.

She explained that the initiative seeks to contribute to reducing unemployment and teenage pregnancy by equipping young women with practical skills and mentorship.

According to her, participants receive free training in areas including makeup, photography, videography, baking and sugar craft, wig making, and other vocational and entrepreneurial skills.

The programme combines skills development with mentorship.

“It’s six months of skill training, three months of skill training, and then three months of mentorship,” she explained.

At the end of the programme, participants pitch their business ideas for consideration for seed funding.

The initiative has now reached its fourth edition, with the conference also marking the graduation of the third cohort.

Borketey-Tackie said her motivation for establishing the initiative was rooted in a longstanding commitment to empowerment and supporting people.

“Everything about me has been empowerment,” she said, recalling her earlier work through the Dussop Foundation and other initiatives.

She said the past four years of She Triumph had been marked by continued efforts to expand opportunities for women.

Celebrating achievement and creativity

The 2026 conference also featured a range of cultural, creative, and celebratory activities.

These included a poetry recital by Farida Mensah Ibrahim and a choreography performance by Chara Mime Dance Ministry, adding artistic expression to the day’s conversations on women’s empowerment, purpose, and legacy.

In a special gesture of appreciation, students of Apam Senior High School Girls presented an A3 wooden-framed portrait to Lady Mrs. Deborah Borketey-Tackie in recognition of her work and contribution to empowering women.

Another major highlight was the unveiling and auction of the She Triumph Magazine, a publication highlighting the blueprint and legacy of the Convener, Lady Mrs. Deborah Borketey-Tackie.

The magazine initiative forms part of efforts to document the journey, experiences, and impact behind the She Triumph movement.

Third cohort graduates

The conference also marked the graduation of 10 participants from Cohort Three, with certificates presented to the graduands after completing the six (6) month programme.

The graduation underscored the initiative’s practical approach to empowerment—moving beyond motivational conversations to equip participants with skills, mentorship, and opportunities to develop sustainable livelihoods.

The climax of the event was the presentation of a GH¢10,000 seed fund to Mary Agbenorlawo, who emerged as the winner of the business pitch.

The funding is expected to provide additional capital to support the development of her business idea.

Building a culture of women supporting women

The conference repeatedly returned to the importance of women creating opportunities for one another.

Participants were encouraged to use platforms such as She Triumph not merely as places to listen to motivational speeches but as spaces for building relationships, finding mentors, exchanging ideas, and accessing networks.

Speakers stressed that women at different stages of their journeys can learn from one another—whether they are students, emerging entrepreneurs, professionals, mentors, or established business leaders.

For the organisers, the vision goes beyond a single annual conference.

It is about creating a continuing community in which women can acquire skills, develop businesses, receive mentorship, overcome personal and professional challenges, and ultimately become sources of support for others.

As Whitney Boakye-Mensah told participants, the measure of a meaningful life may ultimately be found in the people whose lives are changed because someone chose to persevere.

“May your healing be deep, may your growth be undeniable, and may your legacy be that when you finally leave this earth, someone somewhere will stand and say, ‘Because she lived, I did not give up.'”

The message captured the spirit of the fourth edition of She Triumph—a call for women not only to define their own blueprint for success but also to ensure that the lives they touch become part of the legacy they leave behind.

Source: Joseph Kobla Wemakor

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