Electing more women in local level elections in 2023 is a sound investment—Abantu

Abantu for Development has stated unequivocally that electing more women in local level elections in 2023 is a sound investment.

Women are a necessary SOUND INVESTMENT in the local governance processes if Ghana is to achieve the targets of the SDGs.

Since women are not a minority, they constitute more than half of the nation’s population, with enormous potential for positive economic outcomes and national development.

As the level of government is closest to citizens, electing and integrating more women into local governments is critical.

Sadly, thirty-four (34) years after the establishment of the decentralised system, women continue to grapple with inequality in representation and are perennially excluded from making up the numbers in district assemblies that can make their participation effective.

Within these thirty –four (34) years of decentralization,  the highest number of women contestants came in 2006 when 1,772 women contested and  478  were elected out of 4;732 electoral areas.

The 2019 Local Level Elections recorded only   226 women winners out of more than 6270 electoral areas countrywide.

In this environment of exclusion and severe under-representation of women, the nation is losing out on diverse leadership and the attainment of economic and social justice.

It is in this regard, Abantu for Development with support from the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), has been working assiduously under a project dubbed:  “Strengthening Women’s Activism and Representation for Effectiveness in Local Governance”.

Speaking at a press conference themed:  “Electing More Women In Local Level Elections 2023 Is A Sound Investment”, Mrs. Magdalene  Awinyeliya Kannae, a  Member of the Local Governing  Board of the Peace Council, also underscored the importance of women’s representation in Local governance.

Stressing that, it facilitates genuine democratic participation that empowers grassroots and channels their inputs constructively into national development efforts.

Adding that, it ensures equitable participation as well as engendering gender sensitivity in the overall development planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation processes.

Development happens in communities and it is in communities that women and men can discover their voices, assert their rights and mobilize action to achieve their developmental aspirations.

Touching on strategies to increase participation in local governance, she urged the government to swiftly pass legislation aimed at reserving special quotas for women.

Adding that women achievers should be given platforms to share life stories and challenges for activists to learn from the different experiences.

More so there is the need to promote male champions to support females’ visibility and participation in development discourse.  Government should also provide special funds for NGOs to support women candidates.

The upcoming Local Level Elections in 2023 is another opportunity at our doorsteps to mobilise women for increased participation in the Assembly discourse.

ABANTU For Development has a case “Women are necessary and a SOUND INVESTMENT in the local governance processes if Ghana is to achieve the SDGs which we signed and ratified in 2015.

Also, Ghana made commitments internationally including the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against  Women (CEDAW) and the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action.

She seized the opportunity to advise women to gather the strength to contest the men come the 2023 election.

The Convenor of Women Manifesto Coalition, Hamida Harrison said ABANTU For Development also that local elections are the cornerstone for the consolidation of democracy and are supposed to be a primary tool to foster political openings.

Adding that, it also expands political participation and guarantees the realisatiion of human rights, especially for the marginalised.

According to her, ABANTU for Development would support five local districts in the coming year 2023 to ensure that women are elected to participate in talks about the development agenda at the local level.

ABANTU for Development, a leading proponent of women in leadership, is entirely committed to ensuring that more women are elected in the local level elections in 2023.

Source: Isaac Kofi Dzokpo/newsghana.com.gh