Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has expressed dissatisfaction over the poor female representation in the appointments made by President Mahama so far.
He said following the passage of the Affirmative Action and Gender Equity law, he was hopeful the President would ensure the progressive achievement of gender equity targets in the law but unfortunately, this has not been the case dissatisfaction
Speaking at the celebration of International Women’s Day in Parliament, Mr. Bagbin said, “We will welcome and endorse an above-target achievement in making appointments. We will not accept anything below the statutory benchmark percentage.
“We have tarried long in passing this law. Let us not apply the same wishy-washy attitude towards its implementation. I am not impressed with what I have seen so far in the position of women in the leadership of one, parliament, two committees of parliament, and three, appointments to ministerial positions”.
He said anything below the benchmark of having more women in decision-making positions is unacceptable.
“I am not impressed at all. Even the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection is not a cabinet ministry”.
Chairperson of the women’s caucus in Parliament, Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe, challenged women to work hard so they are seen to be walking the talk when calling for gender equality and equity.
“How did we find ourselves here as women being relegated to the background? All is our culture because we also believe that it’s the man who brings the money before we cook, the man who pays the fees, and the man who does everything—the light bill and the water bill. Women, let’s change that attitude,” she said.
“Cudjoe added, “You take me to the restaurants, and then you bring out your credit card. I also bring out my credit card. If we can start doing this together and we ask for equality, that’s where the men will get relaxed.”
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Majority leader Mahama Ayariga said addressing gender issues must be tackled from the root. He called on his colleagues to be sensitive to issues about the well-being of women in their legislative duties.
“Women still do twice as much unpaid work as men. The 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana guarantees women’s political rights and their participation, yet female representation in government and public life remains significantly low.
“While there have been incremental gains over the years, the pace of progress has been slow, with women still underrepresented in leadership at both national and local levels. It also falls short of the minimal UN-recommended proportion of 30 percent,” Ayariga stated.
Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, in a speech read on his behalf by the first deputy whip, Jerry Ahmed Shaub, called on duty bearers to move from lip service in women’s advancement and ensure that it is achieved.
“More women are needed in senior leadership. Their opinions must appear in decision-making.
“Women bring different experiences and perspectives to political decision-making that are likely to exert a positive impact on both the culture and parliamentary politics and the quality of policymaking,” he said.