Ghana begined the yr with the ‘herstoric’ First Feminine Vice President of the Republic sworn into workplace on January 7, 2025. For over 60 years after independence, our presidency has been led by males. This ‘herstory’ is due to this fact refreshing to notice. Nonetheless, this new daybreak both illuminates our collective ambition or flip it gray relying on the layers of illustration our dominant voices echo for girls and different marginalised teams on this new authorities administration.
Making HerStory:
The annals of Ghana’s historical past have been re-written with the idea of workplace of Prof. Naana Jane Opoku- Agyemang to the workplace of the Vice Presidency of the Republic. Our historical past and all of historical past has largely been recounted in remembrance of males though the arc of history impacts each genders. The important and sacred affect and significance of our ladies is usually lacking even when that they had been pivotal within the salvation of our nation.
But historical past may be very highly effective because it connects the previous to the current making it doable to embrace the longer term with hope and a few certainty of success which we deny women and girls. Ladies like Hannah Kudjoe, Susana Alhassan, Leticia Quaye, Ayaoni Bukari, Rebecca Naa Dedei, Hawa Yakubu amongst quite a few women having performed integral roles in Ghana’s politics, are but to obtain their flowers after they’ve lengthy been gone.
As we navigate this new political panorama in Ghana, with our smiling faces, we have to ask for extra with a better activity to centre our activism on collective ‘herstory’.
The politics of representation issues:
The politics of ‘representation issues’ might be rooted in systemic heritage preservation. If not nicely articulated and utilised, it is going to change into an efficient option to create a gender parity mirage. Now and again, the system will get one lady up there, cap it as inspiration, however use her for extra marginalisation frames. Pray, this time, that one lady, lives above the system. That would be the actual deal and the wild inspiration for extra ladies to really really feel represented.
This might not be bothering to many Ghanaians however Gender Activists know the imaginative and prescient of their efforts and may proceed to protect each ray of sunshine even when the deck is stacked towards us. We should additionally proceed to examine the flame of efficiency on collective gender illustration in politics and public life by calling out politics that encourages tokenism to make sure the numbers depend. Ghana has seen and felt the rise and decline within the numbers of girls illustration in our parliament through the years whereas political events proceed to pledge-play ladies empowerment and illustration. Ladies have to muster the braveness to carry political leaders accountable for his or her guarantees and uplift the complete spectrum of illustration. Else, we limp in reverse instructions with our efforts and visions.
The Gender, Youngsters and Social Safety (GCSoP) ministry must be reconsidered for a cupboard standing to effectively ship on its mandate to make sure gender mainstreaming in all sectors and for the important empowerment of susceptible teams. The GCSoP Ministry is a technical one, and a aware effort should be made to decide on people with the requisite skill-set, expertise, experience and {qualifications} to steer the cost with satisfactory sources.
The Affirmative
Motion (Gender
Fairness) Act:
Politics in Ghana is dominated by males and so they have a tendency to learn extra from the political system due to this fact wielding systemic and structural energy. That’s why gender activism must be extra centered on collective empowerment that will get us the illustration we want and the time to do this is now with the Affirmative Motion Act at hand. From the progressive 30 per cent to 50 per cent ambition of the Act, the brand new administration ought to decide to appointing not lower than 30 per cent of girls to serve the nation in varied capacities.
Males have enablers mostly as god-fathers and even god-mothers in our politics leaving ladies with the sustained problem of who to carry their hand. Younger ladies are ravenous for political god-mothers and it will likely be a uncommon privilege to provide them an opportunity. Actually, it will likely be a radical revolution to have ladies in politics prioritise intentional mentorship for different ladies and women. Clearly, it is going to take ladies themselves to alter the matrix with a purpose to obtain the gender parity set forth by the Affirmative Motion Act.
From particular person groundings to collective actions, ladies can encourage a democracy with grace and hope for the widespread and collective good. The clear existence of gendered energy dynamics in Ghana’s democracy ought to awaken ladies’s company to dream, accomplish, encourage, mentor, and pay it ahead for women and girls within the nation.
Conclusion:
The underrepresentation of girls in politics and public life is a system that wants remade to make sure equity and to advertise good governance. As witnesses of this new ‘herstory’ in Ghana, we’ve got a sacred obligation to inform our unborn generations, that, this was not nearly a ‘lady king’ however a grand ‘agojie’ military emerged as nicely and this may be doable if we take the holy act to make sure there’s feminine familiarity with this administration by the appointments of extra ladies into public places of work consistent with the Affirmative Motion Act.
Congratulations to Ghana’s First Feminine Vice President, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku- Agyemang and to all the ladies who performed important roles within the 2024 basic elections.
The author is the Executive Director, FEAD/Gender Activist
BY HIKMAT BABA DUA
