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President John Dramani Mahama has been called upon to reject the shortlisted Municipal and District Chief Executive (MDCE) candidates from the Upper West Region submitted to his office over the exclusion of women in the list.
He has been urged to be “bold, intentional and deliberate in appointing qualified and competent women of the Upper West Region to support him deliver his well-intended resetting Ghana agenda.”
The Affirmative Action Coalition, a group of gender advocates in the Upper West Region, made the call during a press conference in Wa following the announcement of the region’s shortlisted MDCE applicants.
The MDCE Vetting Committee in the region announced 33 shortlisted MDCE aspirants in a statement signed by Charles Lwanga Puozuing, the Upper West Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, at the weekend, which excluded all eight women who applied for those positions.
Ms Lydia Darlington Fordjuor, the leader of the coalition, who addressed the press, commended President Mahama for his bold declaration to ensure women’s representation in leadership and governance in his administration.
“We believe that President John Dramani Mahama was very clear in his mind when he stated that he would ensure the appointment of at least 30 per cent of women in his government.
“That solemn promise to the gallant women of Ghana and the Upper West Region contained in the NDC 2024 Election Manifesto, which aligns very well with the Affirmative Action Law represents a valid social contract, a promise that must be kept,” the Coalition said.
Ms Fordjuor, the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Lead at the Community Development Alliance (CDA), indicated that the decision by the vetting committee in the region had the potential to significantly undermine the President’s promise of 30 per cent women inclusion in his government.
The group appealed to the President to ensure, at least, four out of the 11 MDCE positions in the region were filled by women.
The group also appealed to the Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, to stand firm with women and ensure that the 30 per cent representation of women in the President Mahama-led government was met across all 16 regions of Ghana in the appointment of the MMDCEs.
The coalition observed that male dominance, and social, cultural, and religious norms had placed systemic barriers to women’s participation in leadership, and “now is the time to break those barriers.”
The exclusion of women from the shortlisted applicants of the MDCEs in the Upper West Region has raised significant concerns among some people in the region with some describing it as an injustice to women in the region by NDC. —GNA
