By Bertha Badu-Agyei/Eunice Hilda A. Mensah
Accra, April 15, GNA – Ms Becky Enyonam Ahadzi, Coordinator of the Affirmative Action Law Coalition, has urged the public to protect and support female aspirants elected to positions, including legislators.
“Some are in Parliament and feel they are left alone after being given the mandate. Now we have 40 MPs—30 NDCs, 10 NPPs. Some even say, ‘If we have given her the position, let’s just watch her deliver.’
“Some even wave flags in our faces, saying, ‘If they have given you a female as a Vice President, what else do you need again?'” she said at a Post-Elections Consultative Forum in Accra.
The forum, organized by the Network for Women’s Rights (NETRIGHT) with support from the Star-Ghana Foundation, brought together about 50 participants, including academics, civil society members, politicians, gender advocates, electoral observers, government agencies, media, and development partners.
Discussions focused on Ghana’s democracy, accountability, and gender-responsive governance.
Ms Ahadzi emphasized that having a female Vice President was a significant step, but more effort was needed to ensure women in leadership excel.
She called for funding support for institutions like the Ministry of Gender to implement the Affirmative Action Law effectively.
“Everything is money, nothing is free, bringing together different knowledges, doing rounds come at a cost, media spaces are not free,” she added.
She also advocated for constitutional amendments to strengthen the Act and safeguard women in leadership roles.
Ms Cynthia Sunu, Programmes Manager at NETRIGHT-Ghana, highlighted that women remain underrepresented in Parliament, making up only 14.1% of MPs, with one constituency yet to be declared.
She called for deliberate action to move beyond tokenism and prioritize women’s representation structurally.
Dr Gloria Afful-Mensah, a senior lecturer at the University of Ghana, discussed “Gender and Taxation,” noting that the now-scrapped electronic-transaction levy disproportionately impacted women’s businesses.
She urged policymakers to consider gender differences in taxation.
Mr Frank Owusu Frimpong of the Ghana Union Movement criticized the predictable pattern of election outcomes and urged the Electoral Commission to ensure timely delivery of electoral materials in future elections to prevent delays.
“It’s as if the election outcome is easily predetermined by anyone, but that shouldn’t be the case,” he said.
GNA
KAS