Friday, April 16, 2010

RE-ORIENT MORE WOMEN TO PARTICIPATE IN POLITICS (PAGE 14, APRIL 16, 2010)

PARTICIPANTS at a day’s forum on increasing women’s participation in decision-making and leadership positions have called on civil society organisations (CSOs) to help re-orient women to believe in themselves as potential good leaders in the country.
They stressed that as this year’s district assembly elections approached, it was imperative for women’s participation in the decision-making process at the district level to be increased.
The participants also suggested the establishment of a group to lead a “lobbying process” of increasing female appointments at all levels of governance.
The participants were drawn from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), gender desk officers of the district assembly, CSOs, the Department of Women and the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS).
The forum was aimed, among other objectives, at sensitising the CSOs to facilitate regional level campaigns on women’s participation in leadership positions, decision-making and other rights issues affecting women.
It was organised by the Northern Sector Action on Awareness Centre (NORSAAC), with support from ActionAid Ghana and Ibis West Africa, both NGOs.
The Director of NORSAAC, Mr Alhassan Mohammed Awal, stressed the need to support and monitor the Northern Regional House of Chiefs’ promise of ensuring at least 20 per cent appointment of females into the various district assemblies after the district assembly elections.
He expressed regret that some assembly women had declared their intention to step down and had already negotiated with their male counterparts to take over.
Mr Awal suggested the need for a Legislative Instrument on the percentage of women to be appointed to the district assemblies to be put in place.
“We also need a law on affirmative action on women in decision-making, as well as increased public education on the need to fulfil the percentage appointees for women,” he stated.
The Programmes Co-ordinator of NORSAAC, Madam Hafsah Sey Sumani, said it was disheartening to hear that none of the two major political parties introduced new female parliamentary candidates in the region during the 2008 elections.
According to her, it was important also to point out that “having only one female district chief executive out of the 20 assemblies was a worrying situation and will not inspire young and enterprising females to demand leadership roles in the society”.
She announced that the Northern Regional Assembly Women Caucus on Good Governance was currently working closely with NORSAAC to ensure that current elected women performed satisfactorily to brighten their chances of being re-elected.
She explained that one of the strategies adopted was the engagement with traditional leaders at the regional house of chiefs to pledge their support for women’s representation in the upcoming district assembly elections and also towards the 2012 elections.

No comments: