An alliance of women in Ghana, The Women’s Manifesto Coalition of Ghana has articulated their displeasure over the low number of elected female Members of Parliament in the recently held general elections in Ghana. In a press conference organised in Accra, the women called on policy makers to augment their efforts to increase women representation and participation in politics. 

 WOMEN’ S MANIFESTO COALITION OF GHANA 

PRESS STATEMENT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF WOMEN DURING PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS 17^th December 2008 

We, women of Ghana note with utter disappointment, the reduced numbers of women for the next parliament following the December 7^th 2008 Election. The number of female parliamentarians has reduced from 25 to 18. We also note that since our Constitution requires that two-thirds of ministers must be appointed from parliament, it means that even if all the 18 are appointed, women will still be worse off in the new administration. The NDC and NPP – the two main political parties – have not convinced women who constitute the majority of voters, about their commitments to women’s representation and participation in governance and what strategies they intend to put in place to achieve gender equity as demanded by out 1992 constitution.  

Need For Balanced Representation of Women in Decision Making Structures We firmly believe that “without the active participation of women and the incorporation of women’s perspectives at all levels of decision – making, the gaols of equality, development and peace cannot be achieved.” These are clearly stated in the Beijing Platform for Action. Importance of having a balanced representation of men and women in all decision-making structures has been underscored in UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, CEDAW. The African Union Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality and the protocol on the Rights of Women to the African Charter. Additionally, it is commonly agreed that achieving the goal of equal participation of women and men in decision-making positions will provide a balance which more accurately reflects the composition of the society’s interest and the general good of all citizens IDEA 2002-2005 pg. 3 

Reasons 

Justice:- Women constitute half of any country’s population 

Efficiency: Women have different experiences and resources to bring to politics 

Diversity: having women in politics ensures promotion of specific needs and interests 

Changing the political system: women are less likely to behave opportunistically

Affirmative Action Strategy 

We call on our incoming Government to see affirmative action or a form of quota system as a deliberate intervention strategy that is not new to Ghana’s political culture. Affirmative action must be seen as a development issue which will be attainable in our political system.  As of 2006, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) statistics showed that parliamentary “quotas” or reserved seats for women were used in 23 countries which were enshrined in their countries’ respective constitutions. In the light of these global developments, Ghana cannot be left behind. The 1992 Constitution needs to be reviewed. Without the appropriate constitutional provision in place, affirmative action in relation to political empowerment of women will be difficult to attain.  

Women’s Demands 

We the Women of Ghana demand the following: 

• More women should be appointed as Regional Ministers and District Chief Executives 
• More Women should be appointed into Public Offices, such as boards of corporations and institutions; as well as the higher echelons of the bureaucracies, in accordance with the demands made in the Women’s Manifesto of 2004.

 We demand a timely response form the two main Political Parties before 28^th December to enable women make an informed decision on which presidential candidate to vote for.  Women will continue to engage with the winning political party and the next government to further address these demands and others contained in the Women’s Manifesto.