The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) has called on the various political parties in Ghana to select women as their running mate ahead of the 2024 general elections.

The Federation in a statement to promote gender equality and amplify women’s voices in Ghana’s political landscape indicated that such a move would ensure that Ghana would get its first female Vice President regardless of which political party win the 2024 general elections.

According to the federation, there are compelling reasons why women must be actively involved in governance and politics in Ghana.

The statement further stated that while women’s representation in parliament ought to increase, there is also an urgent need for the various political parties in the country to nominate and support female candidates for high political office in the country including the office of the Vice President and the President.

“Ghana has organized seven successful elections since 1992 yet women’s share of parliamentarians in all these elections has always been below the African average of 21 percent and far less than the UN recommended 40 percent minimum threshold.” Even at the district level elections, Data from the Alliance for Women in the Media stated that females elected as assembly members are less than five (5) percent.
“FIDA-Ghana is not suggesting that women should always be relegated to running mates, it is important to start this inclusive process as the ultimate is to see a female presidential nominee of a political party, voted as President as witnessed in other countries such as Tanzania, and Ethiopia.
International Federation of Women Lawyers

Furthermore, the statement by the International Federation of Women Lawyers while acknowledging the significant efforts some political parties in the country especially the opposition National Democratic Congress, the Convention Peoples’ Party, the Progressive Peoples’ Party have made in terms of women participation in Ghana’s politics urged for more efforts and actions from all the political parties in the country.

The International Federation of Women Lawyers categorically eulogized the Progressive People’s Party which has selected two women, the late Eva Lokko, in 2012 and Ms Bridget Dzogbenuku in 2016 as running mates, and the Convention People’s Party (CPP) which elected Nana Akosua Frimpomaa–Sarpong II as its running mate in 2012 general election for been the models of more inclusiveness in the selection of running mates of political parties in the country.

According to the statement both global and national legal requirements are clear on the rights of women to participate in elections on an equal level as their male counterparts in the world.

The statement indicated that, it is therefore unfortunate that after sixty -six years of independence, Ghana has had no woman vice president.

“Any political party that shows little inclination to nominate running mates as women, and support their female candidates sends signals that they have a male-oriented party culture that is undemocratic and exclusive, favoring male participation. Such a culture ignores women’s rights to fully participate in politics.
“Additionally, any culture that asks female candidates to step down for more ‘successful’ male candidates perceived by the leadership of political parties as a ‘safe’ candidate over the female candidate contravenes the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) goal 5, which calls for gender equality. SDG Goal 5, further states that women’s equality and empowerment is one of the 17 sustainable goals that is also integral to all dimensions of inclusive and sustainable development. Gender parity in politics is therefore essential to the progressive development of all women and girls”
International Federation of Women Lawyers

FIDA Highlight Measures That Would Promote Women Participation In Ghana’s Politics

Moreover, the International Federation of Women Lawyers posited how the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill by Parliament could promote and facilitate a strong advocacy campaign that would persuade political parties to adopt measures to remove obstacles to the full participation of women in both the party machinery and the contest for elections.

The statement further stated that even in the absence of the Affirmative Action bill, Ghana’s signatory to countless international conventions including the Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Maputo Protocol, the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa urges the country to promote women active participation in governance and politics.

The Federation strongly argued that the 2024 elections must change the current narrative where there are about two hundred and thirty- five (235) men in parliament and only forty (40) female Members of Parliament representing only 14.5% in the country.

According to the statement Ghana’s ranking of 145th in terms of women’s representation in parliament by the Inter-Parliamentary Union is abysmal considering the work that women’s rights activists have done for over two decades.

“As far back as 2004 the women’s manifesto led by Abantu for development with support from other women’s rights groups called for equal female participation in government structures. A review of the women’s manifesto ten years after it was developed in 2014 indicated that Ghana had made little progress in female representation in parliament and other governance structures.
“Women’s equal participation in decision-making is therefore not only a demand for simple justice or democracy but a necessary pre-condition for women’s interests to be taken into account”
International Federation of Women Lawyers

The International Federation of Women Lawyers therefore recommended that in order for Ghana to achieve gender parity in politics and parliament, political parties in the country must implement gender transformative policies that are all-encompassing and democratic.

It also suggested that Civil society groups and the media should continue to intensify their watchdog role to ensure that political parties contribute to placing Ghana among the world’s top twenty countries where women’s participation in politics has recorded between 40 to 50% political participation.