The Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT), in partnership with Alliance for Women in Media Africa (AWMA), National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG), the Affirmative Action Bill Coalition, and the Women’s Manifesto Coalition (WMC), wants President Akufo Addo to appoint at least 60% of women out of the 30% assembly members to be nominated as government appointees to the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives.
According to them, the under-representation of women in decision-making positions in Ghana remains a matter of grave concern, especially at the local level.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra, Programs Manager of Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT), Patricia Blankson Akakpo said, the country continues to accommodate gendered inequality practices resulting in low participation and representation with huge gaps in the number of women able to access public decision-making structures, election after election.
She said Ghana is therefore failing to achieve a local environment for equal political engagement between women and men for genuine consensus-building to strengthen democracy adding that at the local governance level, elections are failing to deliver district assemblies that are devoid of gender marginalization for effective local governance which requires gender sensitivity and responsiveness.
“Women in local government have failed to make the equality mark in elections and government appointments. These appointments, in the past and in recent times, whether the 30% Government appointees in the Assemblies or the appointment of the 261 Chief Executives cannot be accepted as representing a genuine act of gender responsiveness but rather reinforces the ever-present gender equality gaps and challenges.
“The Administrative Directive (DA) attached to the 30% Government appointees in the District Assemblies has never attracted the seriousness required,” She added.
Undoubtedly, developments such as these, bring to the fore the urgent need to give practical expression to our collective desire, and the provisions enshrined in the Fourth Republican Constitution of Ghana, to ensure “meaningful participation and allow for equality of opportunity for all citizens.” This could have been achieved if the Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Bill 2023 had been passed in 2023 and implemented.
However, pending the passage of this law, the Coalition, in solidarity with several others, made a passionate call to the President of the Republic, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to take a decisive step towards gender parity, by appointing at least 60% of women out of the 30% assembly members to be nominated as government appointees as well as a critical number of women appointees among the 261 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives that are to serve in the next four years.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Vincent Kwofie.
