Include women in decision-making for development - Hajia Mahama

Accra, Aug 1, GNA - Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC) on Tuesday called for the participation of women at all levels of decision-making because lack of gender parity was closely linked with the lack of development in Africa.

Thus, any measure aimed at achieving sustainable development should deal with gender issues, particularly the low recognition of the rights of women and their consequent limited representation in decision-making at all levels of society.

Hajia Mahama was speaking at the opening of a two-day capacity building and training workshop for women aspirants for the 2006 District Assembly Elections slated for September 12.

The workshop, which is being organised by the MOWAC, is funded by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development's Decentralisation programme and the UNICEF.

It is aimed at equipping the candidates with the requisite skills to enable them to perform to their optimum at the district assemblies and to make valuable contributions to the development of their districts.

The workshop would focus on five thematic areas: Ghana's local governance system; election campaigning; public speaking and interaction with the media.

Hajia Mahama held that to help the process of resolving the gender imbalance, it was expedient to consider women's participation in decision-making.

She said their participation in decision-making at the local level served as a training ground for political activism. Hajia Mahama noted that if women were involved in local governance, they were likely to be committed since they already had practical home and community level experience on concerns of local government. "Women's participation as members of our district assembly promotes good governance and thus sustains our democratic dispensation", she said.

The Minister entreated the women to eschew petty jealousy and not to allow themselves to be used by others to fight one another but should come together to take a common stand on issues that affected them and to work together to make life better for the vulnerable. She encouraged women to contribute to the "Women in Local Governance Fund", which was instituted to offer financial support to women taking part in politics.