Women urged to support women parliamentary candidates

Ghanaian women have been urged to rally behind women parliamentary aspirants and vote for them irrespective of their party affiliations.

Mr Charles Sakyi, Deputy Executive Director, Centre for the Development of the People (CEDEP), said that would enable women, who constituted over 50 percent of the nation's population to champion their cause.

He made the call on Tuesday at the opening of a two-day capacity building workshop for women parliamentary aspirants for the December 7 general elections in Kumasi.

It was under the theme: “Strengthening the capacity of women parliamentarian candidates for election 2008”. CEDEP and Abantu for Development organised the workshop.

Mr Sakyi said the workshop was to help build the confidence of women politicians to enable them win the trust of the electorate and also facilitate their entry into the decision making process.

He said women in the past had shied away from partisan politics because some aspects of the Ghanaian culture forbade them from speaking publicly, especially when there were men around.

But he noted that today women had equal rights and opportunities. “Let the inferiority complex go, you will be able to do what men can do”, he urged.

The workshop would centre on areas such as communication skills, women politics and decision making, stress and its management, democracy, citizenship and elections.

Mr Benedict Fosu Adjei, Assistant Manager responsible for training and research, presenting a paper on the theme: “Communication for effective Campaigning”, asked the candidates to carve their messages to reflect the needs of the people.

He urged them to re-brand and market their portfolios and identities so as to improve their chances and be effective communicators.

Mr Bright Asare Boadi the Co-ordinator of CEDEP spoke on how to form, maintain and achieve objectives of political parties.

Mr Natt Folley Jaleiba, workshop monitor from Abantu assured the women that with their fairness, frankness, understanding and good managerial skills, they could move the nation forward if given the mandate.

However, he advised them not to be proud and unapproachable when they were in power.