By Akosua Frema Frempong and Blessing Owusu Birago
A two-day training workshop on digital literacy has been organized for female politicians in Kumasi. The training targets to build the capacity of at least 200 female politicians from across Ghana on how to access and use social media platforms and other digital tools to improve their visibility, project their campaign messages and engage more with their supporters and constituents.
The internet is a great enabler for the fulfilment of human rights and freedoms. It does not only provide limitless opportunities for personal development and advancement but also an avenue for people to make their voices heard. With an internet penetration rate of 68 per cent, Ghana has the potential to achieve Goal 5 (B) of the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, which urges UN member countries to “enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular, to promote the empowerment of women.
In Ghana, many interventions have been made to ensure that this goal is achieved. However, a lot needs to be done to ensure parity between men and women in accessing and using Information and Communication technologies, including the internet. One area the internet and social media platforms could help in strengthening, is women’s participation in public spaces and politics.
Unfortunately, many women politicians for example, are unable to take advantage of the potential of the internet and social media platforms to improve their political fortunes. It is for this reason that the Media Foundation for West Africa has targeted to build the capacity of at least 200 female politicians from across Ghana on how they can use social media and other digital tools to their advantage. At one such training workshops in Kumasi, a Programmes Officer at the Media Foundation for West Africa, Madam Daisy Prempeh explained that this is to ensure that women politicians make positive impact online.
“We are organizing this important training in using digital tools to be able to equip female politicians to be able use these platforms for their campaign and for people to be able to hear their voices on what they will do for their constituency. WILDAF Ghana and in support with the Dutch Foreign Ministry we are here today help these female politicians to let their voices be heard in their constituency to amass votes which is their main target and we hope that through the training, They will learn how to use social media, whether such as WhatsApp, Facebook, SMS, X or Instagram,” Madam Daisy Prempeh explained.
The Programmes Manager at Women in Law and Development in Africa, WiLDAF, Madam Lois Aduamoah-Addo emphasized the need to bridge the digital literacy gap between males and females in the area of politics.
“WILDAF is currently collaborating with Media Foundation for West Africa in undertaking this activity that is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This activity is aimed at building a capacity of female politicians on how to use digital tools in amplifying their campaign messages and also putting them out in public. We feel that many times many trainings are there but it eludes female politicians, so this is really targeted at building the capacity of female politicians so they could be able to advance their messages and also use that to increase their visibility in the society,” Madam Lois Aduamoah-Addo, emphasized.
A lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Journalism, and a Digital Communication Consultant , Dr. Martin Thompson Ntem, outlined the scope of the training.
“We find it important for our counterparts who are female politicians who are putting themselves up for election or participating in electoral processes to be enlightened on digital tools, digital platforms so that they can also amplify their voices, share their stories, promote their brand and political parties or candidates This two day program or training we will look at tools they can use to promote their course and to engage their voters, we will delve into social media marketing and one of the tools we will also focusing on is bulk messages, how do you tech the voters with the mobile phone, And they’ll be taking through practical steps, how to engage and moblise for electoral victory.As part of the things we will be teaching the politicians will be how to stay safe online, cyber security, how to be protected by way of their password and how to ensure that they have strong password and I believe that this will be an eye opener for them and they can be digitally literate,” Dr Martin Thompson Ntem explained.
Participants resolved to practice lessons learnt after the training and called for more of such trainings.