Let’s support women in politics

Daily Graphic, Pg 17, Thurs. April 16/09

Story: Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho

SOME female Members of Parliament (MPs) have called on donor agencies, women groups and gender advocates to support more women with funds and logistics to encourage them take active interest in local governance.
They said the district assemblies served as good grounds for grooming women to push them to into national level politics and also participate in decision-making at various levels, adding that, that was necessary to increase the number of women in parliament.
They made the statement at a reception held for female MPs and women in leadership positions in the country by the Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF), under its ‘We know politics project’, in Accra.
Some of the women, who recounted their experiences during the electioneering before they were elected as MPs, described their experiences as unpleasant, and pointed out that, the situation scared most women to stay out of politics.
The MP for Jomoro, Ms Samia Yaba Nkrumah, recounted how she had to look for funds to support her foot soldiers and how some contestants in the election made everything possible to thwart her efforts.
The MP for Lower West Akim, Ms Gifty Kleenam, who is a farmer, said she was motivated to enter politics because she had a lot to offer her people who are mostly into citrus farming, saying that her aim is to provide employment for most of the youth by training them to add value to whatever they produced from their farms.
The MP for Tarkwa-Nsuaem and former Chairperson of the Women’s Caucus in Parliament, Mrs Gifty Eugenia Kusi, said women in parliament have achieved a lot for their various communities and appealed to the media to focus more on some of their achievements.
She said parliament for a long time, had been dominated by men, stressing that the few women who found themselves in the House have to work hard to contribute to debates and move motions or play major roles on the floor of the House.
The MP for Ayawaso West Wogon, Ms Frema Osei Opare on her part, called for more support for women in parliament, saying that most often, they were unable to get access to research materials to enable them make meaningful contributions on the floor of the House.
The Minister for Trade and Industries, Ms Hanna Tetteh, called on women to put aside partisan politics and forge ahead as one people with a common goal saying, that is the only way that issues concerning women and children will be effectively addressed.
“If we really mean what we say about promoting women in politics than we must move beyond party lines” she said.
The Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Ms Akua Sena Dansua said through collaboration with other women oriented organisations, the issues of women and children could be tackled effectively saying that her ministry was ready to collaborate and work with women’s groups to achieve their aim.
The Director of the Institute of Local Government Studies, Dr (Mrs) Esther Ofei Aboagye, who reviewed women’s participation in the 2008 general election, said the outcome was not encouraging as the number of women has reduced from 25 in the previous House to 20.
She said there was the need for a vigorous efforts from both NGO’s and government to help increase the number of women in the House, saying that women’s participation was vital to the overall development of the country.
A former Council of State Member, Mrs Gifty Afenyie- Dadzie, who gave a brief remark of some of the challenges that women entrepreneurs go through, said although it was difficult in the beginning, one had to combine the work in the office and at home effectively.
Mrs Afenyie- Dadzie, who is the Vice-president of the First African Forex Bureau, called on women to build up confidence in everything they did, polish their skills and always remember that there are people who looks up to them.
The Director of Programmes of the African Women Development Fund (AWDF), Ms Sarah Mukasa gave the assurance that her organisation was ready to help with women oriented initiatives and therefore called on the female MPs to take advantage of the AWDF programmes to help develop their communities.
The Board Chairperson of WiLDAF, Dr Cherub Antwi-Nsiah, said the interaction provided an opportunity to link the female MPs with other women in decision-making positions to consult on issues of common interest, as well as interact with some partners in development agencies.