Double Efforts To Speed Up Women Empowerment — Dansua

Ms Akua Sena Dansua, Minister for Women and Children's Affairs, has urged key stakeholders in the implementation of gender responsive, budgeting  to redouble their efforts to positively empower  women and children to ensure accelerated growth and development of the nation.

“There are many policy commitments on gender mainstreaming and gender analysis yet to be fulfilled at all levels and we must see this as a call to duty to bring about the change needed to lead to an accelerated growth and development for all Ghanaians, including women and children,” she said.

This was contained in an address read on her behalf at a national advocacy training workshop on 'Gender Responsive Budgeting and Aid Effectiveness' for selected Members of Parliament and staff of key ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in Ho yesterday, which was organised by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and sponsored by the Commonwealth Secretariat, London.

The three-day workshop is aimed at deepening the knowledge of policy makers and core staff of the MDAs in gender equality and equity, women's empowerment and the role of women in national development.

Ms Dansua said the government was committed to gender mainstreaming to ensure the integration of gender perspectives into all programmes and policies of MDAs and the private sector.

For the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, the gender responsive budget was an excellent approach, she said, and charged the participants to imbibe the new knowledge that would be imparted to them to ensure accelerated growth and development of the nation.

Madam Jennet Kem, an advisor at the Commonwealth Secretariat, London, regretted despite the economic and social benefits of gender responsive budgeting, there  had been limited progress in allocating and channeling  resources to translate the commitment to women's empowerment and gender equality into action.

She called for the establishment and maintenance of sustainable partnerships since gender responsive budgeting required time, patience and tolerance.

Mr Joseph Amenowode, the Regional Minister, was hopeful that the action plans to be developed by each sector would be carefully implemented as it would provide a basis for follow up and eventual support.