Female voters constitute more than half of Volta region’s voter-log in December elections

By Maxwell Awumah

Ho, April 08, GNA – Female voters constitute more than half of voters that turned up to cast their ballot in the Volta Region during the 2024 general elections as the data of the Regional Directorate of the Electoral Commission (EC) shows.

A total of 359,192 females turned up to exercise their franchise against the total of 567,196, who participated in the December elections, more than the male counterparts of 302,437, with the figures representing 53.99 per cent and 46.01 per cent, respectively.

The turn out figure of 567,196 constitutes 64.18 per cent of total registered voters of 1,023,966, in the region.

Mr Johnson Yao Akafia, Regional Director of EC disclosed these during the Regional Consultative Forum on Post Election Accountability in Ho.

The Forum was organised by Global Action for Women Empowerment (GLOWA) in collaboration with NETRIGHT and funding support from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom through STAR-Ghana Foundation.

This is part of planned actions under the project “Advancing Gender Responsive Governance and Inclusive Democracy in Ghana.”

It aimed to assess the outcomes of the 2024 General Elections by reviewing key observations, identifying challenges, and recommending reforms for critical governance and accountability issues for future elections.

On the contrary, in the Parliamentary data, Mr Akafia indicated that only 12 women out of a total of 59 applicants contested the 18 constituency elections in the region with the outcomes revealing two females being elected as Members of Parliament on the ratio, two to 16, female: male, respectively.

He emphasised a huge disconnect between women enthusiasm in voting and standing for Parliamentary elections and attributing this challenge to ingrained socio-cultural norms, values and limited political financing opportunities for women.

Mr Akafia said the EC stemmed the financial burden of women participation in the 2024 general elections by reducing cost in the filing fees for women in the presidential and parliamentary seats to boost women participation.

He said the gender gap in elections could be better managed if political parties evolve deliberate policies to shore up women participation with the appointment to public sector positions while calling for an adoption of a quota system for women representation in line with the Affirmative Action law

Mrs Thywill Eyra Kpe, Volta Regional Director of Department of Gender underscored the need to practicalise the 2024 Affirmative Action Law, which is pegged at 30 per cent to the core.

“It is envisaged that by 2027 the law would be escalated to achieve a 35 per cent rise and beyond this period attempt to notch a 50 per cent representation as women constituted about 52.30 per cent of the population.

Madam Rosemond Ewoenam Atutonu, Executive Director of GLOWA said the Forum would address the concerns related to the low representation of women in governance and advocate for gender inclusive policies.

Participants, which included Civic Society groups, NCCE, Peace Council, Chiefs, Queenmothers and youth groups identified intrinsic limitations of women to actualise their optimum as failure of Queenmothers to establish women version of National and Regional Houses of Chiefs to raise the profile of womenfolk for stronger advocacy in the country, to fully take advantage of opportunities than seeing themselves as limited, women failure to include empowerment and representation as a course in the academic curriculum.

Others are women against women should stop, perception that women in political leadership and space as disrespectful, cultural norms instilling some level of fear in the womenfolk making it difficult for them to take up leadership role, low support for women candidates in the electoral system, lack of women specific programmes for radio and open gatherings and engagement with communities on women-related issues to elevate the conversation on advancing gender responsive governance and inclusive democracy in the country, were identified.

GNA

MA/KOA