At a joint roundtable hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Ghana and the Nordic Africa Institute (NAI), researchers, policymakers, development partners and members of the diplomatic community convened to examine structural barriers to women’s political participation and identify strategies for safer, more inclusive local governance.

Presenting on NAI’s research, Senior Researcher Diana Højlund Madsen shared findings from the newly published book Making Politics Safer – Mitigating violence against women in politics in Africa: insights from Ghana, Kenya and Zimbabwe, released in NAI’s Current African Issues series The book draws on 134 interviews with politically active women and highlights how women in local politics face systematic forms of physical, sexual, psychological, economic and semiotic violence designed to deter their participation and preserve male-dominated political systems.

“In Ghana, only 4.1 per cent of district assembly members are women. If we want inclusive local governance, we must look not only at how to bring women into politics, but at the conditions under which they participate,” said Diana Højlund Madsen. “Violence and intimidation are not isolated incidents. They are structured obstacles that shape who is able to stand for office and remain in politics.”

The research shows that gendered electoral violence takes many forms, including sexualised harassment, threats against family members, moral accusations and online abuse. While gender quotas and policy reforms have improved women’s numerical representation in some contexts, the study argues that representation alone is insufficient if political environments remain unsafe.

Complementing this comparative research from Ghana, Kenya and Zimbabwe, UNDP Ghana presented findings from its work on Women in Local Governance and Peacebuilding, which documents the lived experiences of women in northern Ghana and sheds light on both the structural barriers they face and the resilience strategies they employ to navigate political and peacebuilding spaces.

UNDP further shared results from its assessment on the Levels of Women and Youth Participation in Local Governance and Peacebuilding in selected districts in northern Ghana. The assessment underscores that despite Ghana’s strong democratic credentials and commitments to global frameworks such as the Beijing Platform for Action, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1325 on Women, Peace and Security and 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security, the effective participation of women and youth in local governance decision-making and peace-building processes remains low.

Addressing participants, the Ambassador of Denmark to Ghana, H.E. Jakob Linulf, underscored the importance of evidence-based policy and international partnership in advancing gender equality and democratic resilience.

“We are proud to support this important work and to see the depth of research and results being shared today. The challenges facing women’s participation in political, economic and everyday life are not unique to Ghana or Africa — gender inequality is a global concern. Women must participate fully in society; without their equal involvement, sustainable development is not possible. This is about dignity and rights, but it is also about economic progress and conscious, inclusive development across all sectors, from education and health care to climate action and how we define our societies.

UNDP Ghana’s Resident Representative emphasised that “violence against women in politics is not only a gender equality issue. It is fundamentally a democratic governance issue. When women and young people are excluded, intimidated or silenced, the legitimacy, responsiveness and effectiveness of our institutions are weakened. Through our research, partnerships and programmatic support, UNDP is committed to working with national and local actors to create safer, more inclusive political and peacebuilding spaces where women and youth can lead without fear.”

In consolidating findings, Højlund Madsen, emphasized that meaningful progress requires coordinated action across institutions.

“Legal reforms are important, but they are not enough. Political parties, local authorities, election bodies and civil society must work together to ensure that women can participate in politics without fear. Safer politics is not only about protecting individual women — it is about strengthening democracy.”

The comparative research initiative Making Politics Safer – Gendered Violence and Electoral Temporalities in Africa, funded by the Swedish National Research Council, provides evidence-based recommendations for national governments, political parties, election management bodies and development partners. Together with UNDP’s ongoing research and programming in Ghana, these bodies of work offer new insights and, more importantly, a call to action for policymakers, institutions and political actors to reflect on how policies, political cultures and governance systems must evolve to support women who aspire to leadership and to safeguard inclusive democracy ahead of the 2027 local elections.

The roundtable is co-organised by UNDP Ghana and the Nordic Africa Institute and is held at the UNDP Ghana Office in Accra.