It’s boot for boot

Women in the 18 districts to defy all criticism, harassment, name –callings and insults usually meted out on them by the society and more particularly their male counterparts, to vie for political positions in their respective districts.

The apparent “charged” women, who numbered over 40, expressed their resolve at a 2- day capacity building workshop in Tamale pointing out that especially in the forth coming District Assembly Elections, they would match their male counterparts boot-for-boot and not allow them( male counterparts) to continue to contribute to their (women's) retrogression in domestic and public decision makings.

The workshop was jointly organised by ABANTU for Development and PRIDE- Ghana and funded by CIDA and DANIDA.

Sharing their experiences at the workshop, some of the participants, already in the assembly complained bitterly about how their families, communities and friends had discouraged their decisions to enter politics, whilst others had also had their marriages broken as a result of defying orders from their husbands to stay out of politics. Some of the participants also took turns to advise and boosted the morale of the potential aspirants.

The participants were taught skills on how to win the votes of men in even men- biased and dominated elections and how to map out and reach consensus on common areas of need and support and how to mobilize funds and support for women candidates for the district level elections.

The two NGOs, the ABANTU foe Development and PRIDE Ghana expressed grave concern about why women still constitute the lowest proportion in African politics and decision making processes, not withstanding the deliberate affirmative actions and advocacies by the government and other stake holders to increase or equalize the ratio between men and women at all levels.