MOWAC needs more financial and technical support to deliver its mandate

Accra, July 20, GNA - Mrs Juliana Azumah-Mensah, Minister of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC), on Tuesday called for more financial and technical support to enable the Ministry to implement its policies and programmes.

She said that the lack of adequate resources hampered the effective implementation and enforcement of laws, policies and programmes.

These include the Domestic Violence Act, Human Trafficking Act and other child related issues as well as research and advocacy work.

Mrs Azumah-Mensah, made the call when she took her turn at the Ministry of Information's instituted Meet-the-Press series in Accra on Tuesday.

She said that effective collaboration and networking with major stakeholders over the years had greatly assisted in propelling the Ministry to higher realms and kept it focused on its mandate.

Mrs Azumah-Mensah said that apart from its intention to lobby government for adequate resource allocation, it would hold discussions with development partners on alternative ways of funding and further strengthen its collaboration with all stakeholders, especially non-governmental organisations and civil society organizations, to improve conditions of poor women, and promote gender equality and equity.

On activities undertaken so far by MOWAC, She said although the Ministry had recorded various success stories including enactment of the Domestic Violence Act and Human Trafficking Act, the inauguration and establishment of the Domestic Violence Management Board and a Secretariat had not been done.

Mrs Azumah-Mensah, said the Ministry intended to intensify advocacy and awareness creation on its mission and mandate, the formation and launching of a Network of Women on Peace and Security in Ghana and ensure that the number of women in decision making was greatly enhanced.

She said that MOWAC was also committed to building two new shelters in Accra, and built more in all the regions to promote victim protection and further facilitate prosecution of offenders of domestic violence and human trafficking.

"Discussions on the implementation of Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking Funds are currently concluded and would be launched soon to mobilise donations," she said.

Mrs Azumah-Mensah expressed worry over the influx of women porters (Kayayee) from the northern sector of the country to the cities, although various programmes and interventions had been designed to assist them to become independent.

The Minister said that the issue had been very challenging and needed the involvement of the chiefs and community leaders in these areas to educate their youth on the negative and demeaning implications of such adventures.

Mrs Azumah-Mensah called on Ghanaians to support the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority programme to create jobs, increase revenue mobilisation improve the living condition of the people.

He said that MOWAC recently finalised its four-year Sector Medium Term Development Plan for 2010 to 2013 with six major objectives.

Mrs Azumah-Mensah said that are promotion of gender mainstreaming and gender responsive budgeting in Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDA's), to enhance evidence-based decision-making on gender equality and women empowerment by collating gender and sex disaggregated data in all districts.

She said the plan also sought to protect and promote the development and rights of women and children through awareness creation and effective implementation of national and international policy framework as well as legislations and assess progress on the implementation of women and child related programmes and projects.

"The plan would also improve the socio-economic status of women and children, the vulnerable and marginalised groups through targeted interventions," she said.

Mrs Azumah-Mensah said the plan would also evaluate policy outcomes and impact through effective monitoring and evaluation framework to provide inputs for gender and children policy review and planning and further create awareness and support for the implementation of government's development policies affecting women and children in Ghana.