NGO promoting women’s participation in governance

Bang-Gu-Manga Integrated Rural Development Society (BIRDS), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), is collaborating with the British High Commission in Ghana to undertake programmes to promote women’s participation and representation at the Local Government level in the country.

Miss Fatimata Tuteiya Alhassan, Officer of BIRDS, a Yendi-based NGO, announced this at a durbar organized by BIRDS at Zohe South Electoral Area at Yendi.

Ms Alhassan said the collaboration which formed part of the bilateral programme of the British High Commission, community durbars would be held to project 120 women to contest the forthcoming nationwide local government elections in the Yendi Municipality.

She said the community durbars would be used to sensitize the community leaders to appreciate the role women could play in leadership positions at the grass root levels, as well as build the capacity of prospective female candidates to boost their confidence levels to be able to carry out house-to-house campaigns and mount campaign platforms to convince the electorate to vote for them.

Ms Alhassan, therefore, called on all including chiefs, religious leaders, women leaders, teachers and youth groups to support women who would file to contest the elections.

She urged women to undertake community activities such as playing active roles in unit committees, district assembly, Parent Teacher Associations and other community development initiatives in their areas to boost their chances of being elected.

Alhaji Abdullah Issah, an Islamic Religious Leader urged women to play active roles in the development of their communities.

Other areas where such durbars were held included Balogu North, Balogu South, Gagbini and Guntingli electoral areas of the Yendi Municipality.