Four women contest local elections in Bolga Municipality

Only four women filed to contest the March 3 District Assembly elections in the Bolgatanga Municipality in the Upper East Region.

The women include one incumbent from Kumbangre and three others from Zuarungu, Sabon Zongo and Dulugu electoral areas.

Mr Oscar Apemah, Electoral Officer of the Bolgatanga Municipality, told the Ghana News Agency that said more than 50 forms were picked by women for the District Assembly Elections but only four submitted them by the close nominations.

Asked why there was such low response from women in the Municipality, he said there had been a number of sensitisation programmes but the problem persisted.

But Madam Agnes Atayila, a former Assembly woman for Soe Electoral Area and a past Presiding Member of the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly, said women faced a lot of challenges and pressure from the society.

She said women who showed interest faced problems, such as pressure in their electoral areas and communities to step down for their male counterparts to contest.

According to her, people still had the notion that such positions were reserved for men and advised the few women to work hard.

She said she was not surprised at the trend and indicated that contesting with men in elections required a lot of hard work and urged the female candidates to remain focused.

Currently, the local assemblies in the region have a total number of 43 women, who were appointed by the government, and 110 men.