By Tracy Amankwah Peprah
Accra, Sept. 7, GNA – The Africa Women Leaders Network (AWLN), Ghana National Chapter, has urged women to take up active roles in leadership positions, particularly within the political sphere.
Madam Sheila Minka-Premo, a Member of the AWLN Interim Steering Committee, said there was a significant untapped potential within Ghanaian women to be exploited and charged them to join the decision making ‘table’.
Madam Minka-Premo made the call during AWLN’s Action Planning Meeting held in Accra on the theme: “Empowering Women: Unleashing Potential, Driving Change”.
AWLN is a continental platform dedicated to mobilising and empowering African women in their leadership journey, with a focus on fostering enduring peace and sustainable development across all sectors of society.
“I am sure that we are all aware that there is a lot of untapped potential in the women of this country and most of these women do not actively participate in governance and leadership, hence these potential goes to waste and untapped,” she stated.
Madam Minka-Premo said the persistent marginalisation of women in leadership positions, despite their numerical superiority to men was unproductive and said the narrative ought to change.
Mrs Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, Co-Chair of the Women’s Caucus in Parliament, said the voices of women could only be truly heard if they assertively claimed their rightful space within the political arena.
She said, “I think that when you have a big space like Parliament and you have fewer women, less than 15 per cent of women being represented, it is very difficult for their voices to be heard.”
Madam Angela Asante-Essah, the Presidential Advisor on Gender at the Office of the President, encouraged women to aspire and pursue political roles to contribute to the development of the country.
“If you want to get into the political race, do not let anything deter you,” she said.
Dr Charity Binka, Chairperson of the Steering Committee, AWLN, said the purpose of the Action Planning Meeting was to engage with women leaders in discussions aimed at finding solutions to the issue of low female representation.
She said: “We are all here because we are committed to the course to make sure that our low representation in decision making processes is confronted and make sure we find solutions to that.”
GNA