GenCED urges President Mahama to increase female representation in government

The Gender Centre for Empowering Development (GenCED) West Africa has called on President John Dramani Mahama to prioritize appointing more women to government positions to fulfil his campaign promise of ensuring 30% female representation.

During his campaign and as highlighted in the NDC manifesto, President Mahama assured Ghanaians of his commitment to affirmative action by allocating at least 30% of government appointments to women. GenCED has urged the president to honour this pledge.

Speaking at a post-election forum on women’s participation and representation in the 2024 general elections held in Accra, Gifty Ofori, Programmes, Monitoring, and Evaluation Officer at GenCED, commended President Mahama for appointing the first female vice president in Ghana's history and female appointment made so far.

She, however, appealed for additional efforts to ensure women occupy at least 30% of all government appointments.

"Research conducted by GenCED in the just-ended general elections clearly shows that women’s participation was low due to financial constraints," Gifty Ofori revealed. She also called on political parties to establish mentorship programs for women, similar to the support systems provided to men through political godfathers.

"We are happy so far with the female appointment the president has made in his government and want to use this opportunity to congratulate the first female vice president, but we also want to highlight the challenges that women in politics continue to face. We need to work towards creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for women in politics," she added.

David Kumi Addo, Executive Director of Care for Free and Fair Elections Ghana, also highlighted the need for electoral reforms to address issues of voter disenfranchisement. He criticized the Electoral Commission's decision to limit registration exercises to district offices, noting that it undermined the fundamental right of eligible Ghanaians to participate in elections, as outlined in Article 42 of the 1992 Constitution.

"This decision undermined the fundamental right of every eligible Ghanaian to participate in public elections," he stated, emphasizing the need for explicit laws to guide the Electoral Commission and prevent discretionary actions that could disenfranchise citizens.

"We urge the government to take steps to consolidate democracy and prevent electoral violence, ensuring that Ghana remains a beacon of hope for African countries," he concluded.