Women and girls are encouraged to find their purpose in life, muster courage to pursue it, overcome the various hurdles along the line and go out of their way to impact positively on the lives of others. 

The ones who are able to defy the odds and make positive strides in the lives of others are worth attention and The Spectator, therefore casts its lens on Ms Anita Ofori; one of such outstanding women.

Having carved a niche for herself in the modelling industry over the last decade, she is embarking on a purposeful journey of training young girls to build their confidence and pursue their goals.

As the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Red Vogue Agency, an outfit for Events Management, Model or Talent Management, Pageant Grooming and Mentorship, Anita Ofori; one of Ghana’s finest supermodels is working assiduously to mentor young girls in basic etiquette among others.

Mission

Anita says she is passionate about girls and women empowerment and would do the little she can to “push young girls to achieve their goals in life.”

She said that her mission was “to educate young girls to appreciate their true value and worth as women. To understand their role in society and build their confidence with the objective of facing every challenge associated with achieving their personal goals.”

“I want to see young girls and women empowered in various aspects of their lives such as in education, work, family, reproductive health, human rights and empowered to make their own decisions about their careers, financial independence and freely impact society in their own way.” I envision women uplifted and given equal opportunities in life.

“This aim is achieved through education, empowerment sessions, training, support, mentorship and advocacy.  Also, since I work in the beauty industry and have got empowered through beauty, I organise grooming for beauty pageants”, she said.

Foundation

Ms Anita Ofori through her foundation (The Anita_ Foundation) centres on girls empowerment in Senior High Schools, trains them through attitudinal change on determination to focus on their education and vocations.

“I do this through education, empowerment sessions, training, support, mentorship and advocacy” she noted.

The Anita_Foundation envisions embarking on programmes to support street girls, and a project against child prostitution.

Modelling deals

Her recent pageant Miss Supermodel Worldwide, held in India in 2018, has participated also in both national and international modeling specifically, runway, commercial and editorial.

She has participated and won several beauty pageants both nationally and internationally and worked with brands like Samsung, Vlisco among others.

She has won some awards including; Editorial and Commercial Model of the Year 2020, Top Model of the Year 2021, Overall Model of the Year 2021and attended UN Women Empowerment Conference in Geneva.

Projection

With so much talents, beauty, vision and passion in the modelling industry, modelling in Ghana has great potentials and amazing future not just for models alone but for the creative arts industry and Ghanaian economy as a whole if the industry is managed well.

She therefore, hopes for a better government, corporate community engagement to create a conducive environment for the modelling industry to strive.

Again, she is of the view that,” model agents and agencies must also look beyond their own personal gains but work hard to protect and project the image of the models they represent”.

The aforementioned, she says, would pave the way for creative minds inventing great ideas and projects to attract more international collaborations and investments.

“If models unite with a common voice and respect for one another, protect one another’s interest, the modeling industry in Ghana would be a great force to reckon with” Anita Ofori, noted.

Advice

To Anita, beauty goes beyond just a pretty face and holds the view that models must be selective, cautious, hard working, determined, creative and above all dynamic, but they should invest in themselves and take education seriously.

“They must have strong and firm moral values because that is what will take them far.

Some of my core values that I also encourage the youth to take up include patience, humility, honesty, hardwork, courage, determination and perseverance.”

“I see a young, vibrant creative generation taking the modeling industry by storm”. She said.

Background

Anita Ofori is a staunch Christian, an entrepreneur, a gender and social activist and hails from Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana. She has two brothers, two sisters and a beautiful daughter.

She holds Master of Arts Degree in Development Communication from the Ghana Institute of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology with Religion from the University of Ghana; she had her secondary education at the University Practice Senior High School in Cape Coast, in the Central Region.

Anita enjoys travelling, dancing, watching movies and loves listening to good or intellectual conversations.  She loves fufu with goat soup, and rice dish.

By Portia Hutton-Mills