text: In Ghana, an emoluments committee set up in June 2019 recommended that the spouse of the vice president should receive compensation equivalent to the salary of a cabinet minister-MP, along with the spouse of the president. Although the recommendation was approved by Parliament in 2021, both the first lady and Second Lady Samira Bawumia rejected the proposed payments and promised to refund the allowances they had been paid since 2017, following public backlash against the emoluments. In opposing their monthly salaries, the Trades Union Congress acknowledged the role of the first and second ladies, particularly in supporting women's rights, children's rights, and other causes promoting social and economic development, but stressed that they were not assigned official duties according to the Constitution of Ghana or other national laws.
  In Nigeria, former Second Lady Titi Abubakar, the wife of Vice President Atiku Abubakar (1999–2007), used her role to combat human trafficking. During her tenure, she founded WOTCLEF (Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation), and became the first civilian in Nigerian history to propose draft legislation.
  Other uses
  In the United Kingdom, Camilla Parker Bowles was said to become the "second lady in the land", ranking second only to Queen Elizabeth II, upon marrying Charles, the Prince of Wales in 2005. In 1958, The Times noted that the duties of an American second lady at home in Washington, D.C., "have no exact counterpart in England".
  In France, Penelope Fillon, the British-born wife of former Prime Minister François Fillon, was nicknamed "France's second lady" in the media. However, France Magazine reported in 2008 that Fillon was trying to play down the role, which had traditionally remained outside the limelight.