Thirty-five women will take their place as female legislators in Ghana’s next parliament, but a women’s right activist argues that the figure is not enough.
The figure is an increase of 6, as against the election 2012 figure of 29, where 133 women contested 102 parliamentary seats.
In this year’s election, however, 137 out of the 1,158 parliamentary candidates who contested were women.
But Gender Activist, Adwoa Bame believes “If we are doing six in four years, how long will it take us to get to 50 percent of the 275. That will be a long time. We have done okay, it is not enough.”
She tells Pulse.com.gh that the main setback of women aspirants is finance, as men are able to dole out more money to electorates than women.
“The campaign has become so capital intensive and the electorates are used to being given money and gifts and so on. And the women are finding it quite difficult and I’m sure if you talk to the women who have actually won, although they have won, finance has been one of their major headache,” Ms Adwoa Bame, who is also the Deputy Convener for the Women’s Manifesto Coalition for Ghana added.
She argued that the “Affirmative Action Bill is what is going to be able to speed up the pace. Without it, we are not going to get anywhere.”
The Bill seeks to identify and redress areas of social, cultural, economic and educational imbalance in Ghana, especially as they relate to discrimination against women, and to promote the full and active participation of women in public life by providing for a more equitable system of representation in electoral politics and governance.
Breakdown of the figures
Of the 35 seats, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) holds 12, and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) holds 23.
But this is only 12.72 percent of the total parliamentarians, as against figures from Ghana’s Sub-Saharan African counterparts.
Rwanda has a feature rate of 63.80 and Senegal and South Africa has a feature rate of 42.70 percent and 41.80 percent of women representation respectively.
The NDC contested with 40 women candidates, the NPP led with 29, Convention People’s Party (CPP) had 28, the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) had 17, the People’s National Congress (PNC) had 9.
The National Democratic Party (NDP) put forth 6 candidates, the All People’s Congress (APC) led with 2 and the United People’s Party (UPP) put forth 1 candidate.
There were also 4 women who contested as independent candidates this past election.
Regional breakdown
The Greater Accra region had 10 women winning their seats with the Eastern Region getting 5 women.
The Volta Region had 5 while the Northern region had 1. None of the female candidates in the Upper West region won their seats.
Below is the list of winners in the various regions:
Greater Accra region:
Tina Gifty Naa Ayeley Mensah, NPP, Weija Gbawe
Sophia Karen Ackuaku, NDC, Domeabra/Obom
Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, NPP, Anyaa Sowutuom
Sarah Adwoa Sarfo, NPP, Dome Kwabenya
Nana Akua Owusu Afriyieh, NPP, Ablekuma North
Ursula Owusu, NPP, Ablekuma West
Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings, NDC, Klottey Korle
Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, NPP, Krowor
Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, NDC, Shai Osudoku
Cudjoe Comfort Doyoe, NDC, Ada
Eastern region:
Nana Dokua Asiamah Adjei, NPP, Akropong
Adu – Gyamfi Mercy, NPP, Akwatia
Gifty Twum-Ampofo, NPP, Abuakwa North
Abena Osei-Asare, NPP, Atiwa East
Mensah Betty Nana Efua Krosby, NDC, Afram Plains North
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