Take bolder decisions to appoint more women, PWDs as ministers, CEOs - Otiko Djaba urges Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been urged to demonstrate his commitment towards gender equality, equity and all-inclusive governance by giving more women and persons with disability the opportunity to serve in his government.

According to the Henry Djaba Memorial Foundation (HDMF), it is the opportune time for President Akufo-Addo who serves as the AU Gender Champion for Africa and Co-Chair of the Eminent Advocates of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations and is also the current Chairman of ECOWAS to justify his enviable credentials to the world.

The Henry Djaba Memorial Foundation, an NGO promoting the interests, transformation and wellbeing of women and persons with disability, expressed the view that President Akufo-Addo who now has all the powers at his disposal to increase the representation of women and PWDs will not want to impair his credentials, legacy and global credibility by relegating, downgrading and marginalizing women and persons with disability in his government.

The Executive Director of the Henry Djaba Memorial Foundation, Dr. Otiko Afisah Djaba who made the call on behalf of the Foundation appealed to the President to make deliberate appointments of women and persons with disability as Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Council of State members, Chief Executive Officers, Ambassadors, Board Chairpersons, Managing Directors, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives amongst others.

This, the Foundation observed will not only increase their participation in the governance of this country but shall also increase their representation and involvement in decision making.

The Foundation upheld the need for Ghana to increase the participation and representation of women and persons with disability in both the local and national government structures.

Though commendable, the Executive Director said the appointment of a few women and one physically challenged person as Regional Minister for the Oti Region so far is still not enough to demonstrate the President’s commitment towards the promotion of all-inclusiveness and gender equality, especially as Ghana turns 64 years.

Mr. Joshua Makubu becomes the third Minister with disability after the appointments of the former Regional Minister for Central Region, Mr Kwamena Duncan in 2017 and Dr. Henry Seidu Danaa as the Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs in 2013.

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has so far submitted names of forty-six (46) Ministers-designate to Parliament for vetting and approval. They include 30 Ministers and 16 Regional Ministers. Eight (8) of the appointees are women - two (2) Regional Ministers and six (6) Ministers of state and one male person with disability.

With about 41 more Ministers to be appointed, the Foundation calls on the President to give special recognition to persons with disability and women to ensure their fair representation and active participation in the decision-making processes of Ghana.

The Foundation said that President Akufo-Addo who was also appointed by the former AU Chairperson, President Alpha Conde’ as the Chairman of the AU’s Committee on Gender and Development in 2017, is expected to ensure that women and PWDs are well-placed within the scheme of national affairs especially in his second term as President of Ghana.

Ghana has over 3 million persons with disability representing 10% of the population whiles women constitute over 51%.

But the nation after signing on to several international conventions, treaties and compacts is still struggling to place women and persons with disability at where they rightfully deserve or create the requisite equal opportunities and recognition for them to harness their full potentials.

In Ghana’s House of Legislature [Parliament] where all critical decisions are discussed and formulated into laws, women’s representation since the country returned to constitutional rule in 1993 is still like a drop of water in the ocean. The 30% threshold [affirmative action] for women’s participation agreed upon by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the 1995 Beijing Conference by the UN, is yet to have full expression in Ghana. To date there has never been a person with disability in Ghana’s Parliament.

The Henry Djaba Memorial Foundation places a high demand on President Akufo-Addo to appoint at least 10% women and 5% persons with disability out of the 30% of the Government appointees into the various assemblies in the next District Level and Unit Committee Elections in 2023.

The 2020 Ghana’s election produced only 37 female members of parliament out of the total of 275 representing 13%, the 2016 election produced 36 females representing 12.75% and 2012 produced 29 female MPs. All the outcomes from all the elections fall below the 30% minimum threshold. The time is apt for real change for equity, equality and inclusiveness for in particular women and persons with disability in the development and government structures and there is no better person to ensure this at the moment than the President through his appointments.