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 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 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.

Happy International Women’s Day.