The unending call for women’s participation in governance propels the need for an affirmative action to increase the dwindling number of women who are either elected or appointed into district and municipal assemblies. It is for these reasons that many organizations including the Community Development and Advocacy Center (CODAC) has over the years spearheaded the call for the inclusion of women in decision making.
The number of women elected to Municipal and District assemblies in the Upper East Region keeps on dwindling. Only 9 women out of 49 who contested the just ended district assembly election won as compared to 23 women elected to the previous assembly out of 70 who contested.
In all, 969 individuals contested in 336 electoral areas of the 13 districts in the Upper East region. But the male contestants dominated by sweeping almost all the electoral areas with 327 of them winning.
Among reasons why most of the women who aspired lost the elections are that most of them though competent to lead their communities fear the fatigue and mudslinging involved in politics.
Some of them are not vocal enough to speak in public hence the reason some of them performed abysmally as compared to their male counterparts.
At a day conference to review the poor performance of women in the just ended elections in Bolgatanga, stakeholders alleged that though the elections are non-partisan some political parties went underground and campaigned seriously for people who have an interest in their parties. The women reported that their female colleagues at their various communities instead of campaigning vigorously for them rather campaigned for their male contestants due to the deep seated perception that women cannot lead men.
In order to get their voices heard in decision making at the local level, the Coalition of NGOs in Local Governance (COLOG) in the Upper East Region has called on government to consider appointing 40% women out of the 30% MMDAs appointees. In an action to back this call, 20 signatories have been appended in a communiqué to press on government to back the resolutions and rules on which the country is a signatory or party in the urgent action they are demanding.
The communiqué read by secretary of Past and Present Assembly Women Association (PPAWA), Apania Bride said “it is sad to note that these particular conventions/directives were not honored even until the last assemblies were duly dissolved.”
Gender activist and chairman of Upper East Regional Intersectoral Gender Network (RISEGNET), Daude James Abang-Gos urged women in the region to be proactive and participate in social activities and decision making. Mr. Abang-Gos blamed some of the women who lost the recent district assembly election for showing some complacency in the process and not connected to the community.
“If you think that you are in the city with your husband and your children and so whatever is happening in your community, you don’t care. There is funeral and you go there with your voltic water and your take away food, you don’t want to eat or drink the community water, they are watching you” he stated.
Programs manager of CODAC, Seidu Musah Akugri said his outfit has profiled some competent women who are capable of leading their various communities if appointed. Mr. Akugri has pledged to submit a list of competent women to various assemblies for nominations if the need be.
“We are not saying that they (assemblies) should just appoint women but they (assemblies) should appoint women who are competent” Mr. Akugri stated.
By: Joshua Asaah | A1RADIOONLINE.COM | GHANA
