Women participation in local governance low in Jasikan district

Jasikan (V/R), Aug 15, GNA - Only 12 women out of 121 candidates, representing 0.8 percent have applied to contest the 48 electoral areas in the upcoming Assembly elections in the Jasikan district of the Volta region.

Mr Bismark Nteh, Jasikan District Electoral Officer, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview on Monday at Jasikan that only two, out of 10 women in the present Assembly, were elected in the last election in the 70-member house.

He suspected election apathy and disinterest in politics on the part of the women, as responsible for the situation in the area. Mr Nteh called for awareness creation to encourage more women to contest, saying their participation was vital for deepening the country's fledgling democracy, especially decision-making at grassroots levels.

Mr Solomon Kwame Donkor, Jasikan District Chief Executive, expressed dismay about the low level of women participation, despite continuous education programmes to attract them to the concept and suggested that a critical study should be conducted to find out what the causes were.