MPs call for more support for women at local level

Accra, June 1, GNA - Members of Parliament on Thursday called for more support for women at the districts to ensure that they added their quota to local governance.

They said although women were known to be contributing to national development, especially at the grassroots, little was being done to elect more women into the District Assemblies. Members were contributing to a statement on women's participation in the country's decentralised local government system made on the floor of the House by Mrs Gifty Ohene-Konadu, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry.

Mrs Frema Osei-Opare, Deputy Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment, in her contributions, urged more women to enrol in the adult literacy education programme in order to overcome illiteracy barriers hindering many women from contributing to national development. Mr Haruna Iddrisu, NDC-Tamale South, urged more women to actively participate in the forthcoming District Assembly Elections. Earlier, in her statement, Mrs Ohene-Konadu said decentralisation of power to the local government level had not improved the numbers of women assembly members to any appreciable level. She said the setting up of a fund to support activities of women aspiring to enter local governance by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs was laudable.

She called for a "for a conscious effort by society to introduce a gender perspective in local governance, so as to avoid isolating women's needs as women's problems".