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Some of the country’s female lawmakers have called on relevant stakeholders and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the country to support them financially to enable them discharge their duties effectively in their various constituencies.
The female lawmakers say this would ensure gender equality in the house of legislature as supporting them financially will enable them to retain their seats.
The 2021 Population Housing Census (PHC) reveals Ghana has more females than males.
Ghana’s female population is 50.7 percent with a male population of 49.3 percent.
Currently both the Majority New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) have 20 female lawmakers each totaling 40 female lawmakers in the House of Parliament out of 275.
At a breakfast meeting by the Parliamentary Network Africa some female MPs bemoaned the current number of females in the House of legislature.
The MPs including MP for Ablekuma North, Sheila Bartels, MP for Afram Plains North, Betty Krosbi Mensah and Asokwa MP Patricia Appiagyei, called for financial support to enable female lawmakers retain their seats.
Asokwa MP noted: “It is very important that if we are working with the CSOs, wherever you are getting your funding from, it is critical that you appreciate the challenges we have in ensuring that we are servicing our constituencies and support us especially even during our primaries.
“What do you do to support and ensure that we retain our numbers and be able to even appreciate the numbers that we have in Parliament?”
According to the Asokwa MP, female lawmakers may lose interest in contesting elections without financial support.
for her part, Afram Plains North lawmaker, Betty Krosbi noted: “As a sitting Member of Parliament, having had the experience and knowing the limited resources coming to me as a Member of Parliament, I find it very difficult to be vocal.”
While, Ablekuma North MP added: “What it is about the women in Parliament that will encourage more women to also be supported to get into these positions because you already see that the women that are there are not allowed to shine.
“So if the women in Parliament are not making that kind of impact, what will motivate other women to also come on board? When financiers want to finance only men, when women who are already in Parliament are not getting the support to be able to make an impact within their constituencies.”
