How women have influenced governance in Ghana – Gifty Ohene-Konadu chronicles

Gifty Ohene-Konadu, the former Member of Parliament for Asante-Akyem South has given a comprehensive account of the growth of women empowerment in the country.

In an insightful piece chronicling the rising influence of women in the public life, Gifty Ohene-Konadu recounts details when the crusade to get more women into key positions commenced in the country.

“In 1975 the National Council on Women and Development (NCWD) was established as a policy making body by NRCD decree 322 in response to a United Nations (UN) resolution for member states to establish an appropriate government machinery to accelerate the integration of women in development and advise the government on matters relating to women”.

“Over the years, the NCWD recorded major achievements in law reform that include the laws on intestate succession, laws to criminalise harmful cultural practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and harmful widowhood rites.

“In 2001, the status was raised from a council to a ministry and named as the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, which later became the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP)”.

“It’s been 41 years, since empowering women occupied the center stage of development initiatives in the country. A gender and social protection policy and child rights policy has been developed and endorsed by Government. These policies have yielded positive results in the areas of policy formulation and coordination on gender issues and also strengthened weaknesses in implementation of various laws”.

Madam Ohene-Konadu also pays glowing tribute to some distinguished persons she believes have been instrumental in the drive to bridge the gender gap.

“We commend the Nana Akufo-Addo- led NPP government for strengthening the status of women further with the appointment of first female Chief of Staff and female cabinet ministers including Attorney General and chief executives.

“We would like to pay tribute to some inspirational people like H E Mrs. Rebecca Akuffo Addo first Lady of the republic of Ghana Hon Akosua Frema Osei Opare, Chief of staff, , Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings Former first Lady and Founder of the 31st December Women’s Movement, Rt Honourable Joyce Adeline Bamford Addo, Her Ladyship Georgina Wood, Former Chief Justice Honourable Sophia Akuffo Former Attorney General, Professor Mrs. Florence Dolpyne, Mrs. Jane Cole, Mrs. Molly Anim- Addo and Mrs. Elizabeth Akpaloo and a host of others whose contribution have been worthy of this course.

“I would also like to remember Mrs. Selina Taylor, Justice Mrs. Annie Jiagge and Mrs. Agnes Akuffo and also Honourable Dr. Mrs. Mary Grant and Professor Patrick Twumasi of blessed memory for the zeal and the passionate manner they promoted women into public life. May their souls rest in the everlasting peace of the Lord”.

While celebrating the successes chalked so far, Gifty Ohene-Konadu also reiterated the need for the country to continue working towards achieving gender equality.

She enumerates a number of recommendations which if accepted and worked on could see more women occupy leading roles in the country.

“As we honour our foremothers and fathers we also contemplate on upon the history of women’s empowerment, review works accomplished our vision and the way forward should be our prime focus.

“The Ministry of Gender and Social Protection should be strengthened to play active and catalytic role to facilitate cooperation between all agencies of government, non-governmental organizations and women’s groups and other actors in civil society to effectively collate data, formulate, influence and implement policies to advance the cause of women in development.

“Examples of such partnerships can be found in working relationships with government ministries and departments, some of which operate women’s desks namely Education, Agriculture, Health and Trade Union Congress.

“The Ministry could also influence policies of Government through its representation on major boards, councils, commissions and committees.

“In addition, the Ministries of Finance, Health, Agriculture, Education, Local government and Rural development have representation on the Ministry’s Policy –making board. The Ministry through these linkages will be able to ensure that gender issues are incorporated into National policies”.

Madam Ohene-Konadu herself can be cited as one of the pioneers of women empowerment gender advocacy in Ghana.

Through her career as a public servant, she contributed and still remains committed to the course of women empowerment.

The two term Member of Parliament has a rich background in women empowerment and gender advocacy as she has over the years served as consultant/researcher on gender and local government issues and an experienced civil servant.

She gathered her experience while working as a principal project officer for 18 years at National Council for Women and Development (NCWD). Madam Ohene-Konadu worked with Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs as director of projects for 2 years. Other institutions she worked with include Ministry of Regional Cooperation and NEPAD and the Office of the Head of Civil Service as director of F&A and director of HR respectively.

In 2017, she was appointed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as National Coordinator of the One District One Factory Secretariat where she led the governments industrialisation drive to facilitate the establishment of factories in districts across the country.

President Akufo-Addo in his recent State of the Nation Address once again reaffirmed his government’s and New Patriotic Party’s commitment to the promotion of gender equality by hinting that his government will ensure the reintroduction and passage of the Affirmative Action Bill which has been waiting to be passed into law for several decades.

“I am pleased to inform the house that in the course of this session of Parliament, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, MP for Dome Kwabenya will resubmit to the house the Affirmative Action Bill. Our mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters are looking up to us.

"Indeed, it will make our society the richer and I am appealing to the house on both sides to make one big effort to ensure its enactment,” the President said.

Below is the full piece authored by Gifty-Ohene Konadu on the history women empowerment in Ghana

THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IN GHANA

The origins of the concept of empowerment in Ghana dates back to history.

In 1975 the National Council on Women and Development (NCWD) was established as a policy making body by NRCD decree 322 in response to a United Nations (UN) resolution for member states to establish an appropriate government machinery to accelerate the integration of women in development and advise the government on matters relating to women.

Over the years, the NCWD recorded major achievements in law reform that include the laws on intestate succession, laws to criminalise harmful cultural practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and harmful widowhood rites.

In 2001, the status was raised from a council to a ministry and named as the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, which later became the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP).

It’s been 41 years, since empowering women occupied the center stage of development initiatives in the country. A gender and social protection policy and child rights policy has been developed and endorsed by Government. These policies have yielded positive results in the areas of policy formulation and coordination on gender issues and also strengthened weaknesses in implementation of various laws.

We commend the Nana Akuffo Addo led NPP government for strengthening the status of women further with the appointment of first female Chief of staff and female cabinet ministers including Attorney General and chief executives.

We would like to pay tribute to some inspirational people like H E Mrs. Rebecca Akuffo Addo first Lady of the republic of Ghana Hon Akosua Frema Osei Opare, Chief of staff, , Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings Former first Lady and Founder of the 31st December Women’s Movement, Rt Honorable Joyce Adeline Bamford Addo, Her Ladyship Georgina Wood, Former Chief Justice Honorable Sophia Akuffo Former Attorney General, Professor Mrs. Florence Dolpyne, Mrs. Jane Cole, Mrs. Molly Anim- Addo and Mrs. Elizabeth Akpaloo and a host of others whose contribution have been worthy of this cause.

I would also like to remember Mrs. Selina Taylor, Justice Mrs. Annie Jiagge and Mrs. Agnes Akuffo and also Honorable Dr. Mrs. Mary Grant and Professor Patrick Twumasi of blessed memory for the zeal and the passionate manner they promoted women into public life. May their souls rest in the everlasting peace of the Lord.

As we honor our foremothers and fathers we also contemplate on upon the history of women’s empowerment, review works accomplished our vision and the way forward should be our prime focus.

The Ministry of Gender and Social Protection should be strengthened to play active and catalytic role to facilitate cooperation between all agencies of government, non-governmental organizations and women’s groups and other actors in civil society to effectively collate data, formulate, influence and implement policies to advance the cause of women in development.

Examples of such partnerships can be found in working relationships with government ministries and departments, some of which operate women’s desks namely Education, Agriculture, Health and Trade Union Congress.

The Ministry could also influence policies of Government through its representation on major boards, councils, commissions and committees.

In addition, the Ministries of Finance, Health, Agriculture, Education, Local government and Rural development have representation on the Ministry’s Policy –making board.

The Ministry through these linkages will be able to ensure that gender issues are incorporated into National policies.

The government’s commitment to gender equality has not been backed by the requisite funds. The Ministry does not command enough resources to ensure implementation of all aspects of its wide mandate.

(The budget is mainly approved for conferences, workshops and training). In practice therefore the Ministry’s wide mandate has been constrained by lack of funds and has been compelled mostly to depend on the goodwill of donors.

The Ministry has the potential to improve the policy environment in the interest of women given the needed funds.

Within its limited confines and in spite of its shortcomings, the Ministry has been able to initiate policies to abolish certain practices, which are inimical to women’s achievement. The Ministry has also initiated a policy for the establishment of credit fund for women and the school feeding programme for school children.

It has also addressed the spatial imbalance of girl’s education by putting in place a Women’s Desk within the Ministry of Education and a girl’s education unit to deal inequalities in the education of the girl child.

Other initiatives such as scholarship schemes for deprived girl children and best teacher awards have been undertaken to correct this imbalance.

A partial affirmative action policy has been instituted in the country’s universities to increase female intake into the university programs.

It is important to stress on the need for the government to urgently lay the Affirmative Action Bill before Parliament for its review and immediate passage in order to have full benefit of equal representation of women in parliament and public decision making processes to reflect commitment made at UN conferences by way of signing treaties and conventions.

It is refreshing that HE the President has signaled support for the affirmative Action Bill to be taken up as a matter of urgency

Given the right environment therefore the Ministry can push its agenda forward and provide the appropriate direction to integrate gender issues into the policy environment for the national developmental process.

The challenges in ensuring gender balance in development include financial, human and material resources, as well as attitudinal changes.

Meeting these challenges will require efforts at international, national, regional, district, community and individual levels. There is therefore the need to intensify our linkages and networks at the regional, sub-regional and international levels through constant dialogue, exchange of information, sharing of experiences and good practices and the injection of capital inflows thorough private investments and continued donor support.

Finally as women, we need to have enough courage to overcome our political divide to work for the advancement of women and girls and equal status and equal rights for women and men.