By Akosua Frema Frempong
As part of efforts to promote gender equality, the Ghana Chapter of the Africa Women Leaders’ Network, has organized a town hall meeting in Kumasi to address women’s participation in political leadership.
The programme was in partnership with the Canadian High Commission. Its focus was to promote inclusive governance and sustainable development, with the theme, “Promoting Women’s Political Leadership through Dialogue”. The African Women Leaders’ Network, established in 2017, serves as a continental platform to energize women’s leadership of Africa towards lasting peace and sustainable development in all sectors and at all levels, building on, and working with, existing women networks with the support of the African Union and the United Nations.
It is anchored on six pillars. These are, political participation, peace and security, financial inclusion, young women leadership, empowering rural women and socialization mobilization. The Network currently has over 500 members and continues to grow exponentially. Ghana is the 31st Chapter that was launched on 9th November 2022. The Ashanti Regional Dialogue Session in Kumasi was the first to be organized in three selected regions in the country and brought together, gender activists, women involved in active partisan politics, parliamentary aspirants from the various political parties, persons with disability and queen mothers.
In an address, the Chief Executive Officer, of the Ghana Chapter of the Africa Women Leaders Network, Dr. Charity Binka, emphasized that promoting women’s leadership is about creating an environment where their voices will influence policies, governance and decision-making at the highest level.
“Promoting women leadership is not simply about having women in political spaces, it is also about creating an environment where their voices influence policy, governance and decision-making at the highest level. Dialogue has proved as one of the most powerful tools at our disposal to use for that purpose. It allows us to challenge our bidding norms, dispel myths and bridge’s the gap between aspirations and action. The 2024 elections is more than a contest for power, it is an opportunity for Ghana to demonstrate its commitment to gender equality in political representation. We cannot speak about governance without including women at their decision-making table.
It is not just leadership, its about development. We are asking government, political parties, Civil Society Organizations,
private sector to step up their efforts to make sure women are included. We must foster an environment where women can strive in peace and burdened by the width of discrimination. The media has a role to play by shaping public perceptions moving beyond stereotypical protrayance of women in politics to showcasing leadership abilities, resilience and tangible challenges they bring to formidities. As we approach election 2024, we challenge ourselves to move into meaningful action where women leadership is not only encouraged but celebrated”, Dr. Binka explained.
During a panel discussion to drum home the need for continuous training and support for women who aspire to take on political leadership positions, the Queen mother of Fankyenebra, Nana Akua Afriyie Owoabrempong urged women to eschew the erroneous impression that women are their own enemies.
“I don’t agree with people who say women are their own enemies. For me, they are wrong and it’s not true. Because in fighting for political or any leadership position, the challenges men go through, women also face the same. I don’t see why they say women are their own enemies. Men stand against their own men, they fight themselves, sometimes they blackmail themselves and whatever is done to a man is also done to a woman, I don’t see why we think women are vulnerable and we need help from others. If you are a man or woman and aspire to be a leader, stay focused.
One thing, you must stand for is to be focused and you will get there because being a politician is not an easy task. It requires hard work. If you are women and you are given an opportunity to serve, don’t Lord yourself over others but rather do it well to prove naysayers wrong by bringing out the best in you towards development. Women are not their own enemies”, Nana Akua Afriyie Owoabrempong emphasized.
The Chief Executive Officer of Proactif Global, Nathaniel Akwasi Oduro encouraged women who aspire to be capable leaders to avail themselves for training to take up the task.
“Ladies especially, the Gen Z’s need to realize that whatever position they aspire for comes with a work. So they need to avail themselves for training to get the experience.
My advice to the women Parliamentary Candidates is that, we’ll not vote for you just because you are a woman but on the basis of how well you can explain the policy of the party you are representing, and market yourself well. So I urge you to learn, read and explain policies properly. We don’t want to push you there and you are not able to perform. So that when you get there we can support you to perform better,” Mr. Oduro implored.
In the Ashanti region, a total of 14 females from the two major political parties, the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress have filed their nominations to contest for the parliamentary seats in their respective constituencies.