By Elsie Appiah-Osei
Accra, Nov. 26, GNA— Parliament of Ghana has made strides in promoting Gender-responsive lawmaking, owing to the Inclusive Legislatures for Gender Responsive Policies (ILGRP) initiative.
“The ILGRP initiative has strengthened the capacity of Ghana’s parliament to apply gender analysis to bills and budgets,” said Madam Patricia Appiagyei, the Deputy Minority Leader at the opening of the Regional Forum 2025 in Accra on Wednesday.
The two-day forum organized by the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA) and Global Affairs is on the theme “Parliament-CSO Citizen Collaboration on Gender-Responsive Lawmaking: Experiences and Pathways from Ghana, Kenya, and Togo.”
Madam Appiagyei said the initiative had also improved networking between Members of Parliament (MPs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working on key issues like health, education, and women’s economic empowerment.
“We must continue structured dialogue between parliament, CSOs, academia, and community networks,” she emphasized.
According to the Deputy Minority Leader, the ILGRP project had shown that inclusive and participatory lawmaking leads to fairer laws and more equitable budgets.
She noted that the Parliament of Ghana had benefited from platforms that amplified the concerns of marginalized groups, including grassroots women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
“The ILGRP initiative has provided tools and training to help MPs assess the impact of public policies on women and men differently.
“We are committed to making our parliaments more inclusive and responsive to citizens’ needs,” she said.
The forum brought together participants from Ghana, Kenya, and Togo to share experiences and best practices in promoting Gender-responsive lawmaking.
Dr Gifty Adika, Team Manager, ILGRP, highlighted the objectives of the forum as sharing experiences and best practices among the three countries, Ghana, Kenya, and Togo, on promoting Gender-responsive lawmaking.
“The aim is to share lessons and experiences on tools and practices that support gender-responsive lawmaking, addressing gaps identified in the assessment,” she said.
Dr Adika noted that the forum would focus on three key aspects: frameworks: examining the constitutional and parliamentary frameworks that support Gender-responsive lawmaking; engagement interface: exploring ways to strengthen engagement between parliament and citizens, including CSOs and individual citizens, and Responding to challenges: identifying strategies to overcome obstacles and ensure Gender-responsive lawmaking is integrated into parliamentary work.
She emphasized the importance of leadership and champions in driving progress on Gender-responsive lawmaking.
Mr Camillo Pwamang, Deputy Clerk, LMS Parliament of Ghana, emphasized the importance of Gender-responsive parliaments in achieving democratic accountability, sustainable development, and inclusive societies.
He said Gender-responsive parliaments were crucial for ensuring effective, transparent, and inclusive institutions.
He called for collaboration between parliament, CSOs, and citizens, as it was necessary to create institutions that reflected the aspirations of societies.
Mr Pwamang encouraged participants to approach the Forum with a spirit of collaboration, commitment, and innovation to strengthen the foundations of their nations.
Mr Bonie Mathooko, Director, Parliamentary Research Services, Parliament of Kenya, highlighting the importance of public participation in legislative processes, cited the Parliament of Kenya’s efforts to engage with civil CSOs, women’s groups, and other special interest groups.
He said the Parliament of Kenya had established formal mechanisms for public participation, including calls for submission of memoranda, targeted invitations, and digital platforms for online submissions.
“CSOs and women groups have contributed significantly to amendments in laws, such as the Sexual Offences Act (2016) and the Children Act (2022),” he said.
Mr Mathooko noted that the ILGRP project had provided capacity-building training to parliamentary staff on gender mainstreaming, enhancing their ability to incorporate gender considerations in their work.
“The Parliament of Kenya has developed tools and resources to support gender mainstreaming and public participation, leveraging partnerships with organizations like the Canadian Parliamentary Centre,” he said.
GNA
Edited by Christian Akorlie