Accra: Becky Enyonam Ahadzi, a Women's Rights Advocate, has called for constitutional safeguards to boost women's political representation. She said challenges facing women in politics stemmed from the absence of structural guarantees despite existing legal provisions.
According to Ghana News Agency, Ms Ahadzi, who is also the Coordinator of the Affirmative Action Law Coalition, made the call at a policy dialogue in Accra. The dialogue, organised by the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) in partnership with Oxfam, brought together legal experts, political actors, civil society organisations, and youth leaders.
Ms Ahadzi highlighted that although Article 17 of the Constitution guaranteed equality, weak enforcement had not yielded equitable outcomes in women's political participation. She pointed out that Ghana's electoral system contributed to the imbalance, operating on a first-past-the-post basis, which does little to support women's representation.
In her remarks, Ms Ahadzi stated, "In a political landscape shaped by entrenched patriarchal norms and increased monetization of politics, the chances and success of women as leaders are limited." She drew comparisons with countries like Rwanda and Kenya, where proportional representation systems have increased women's participation through constitutional quotas that also cater to youth and persons with disabilities.
Ms Ahadzi emphasized that the ongoing constitutional review process provided an opportunity to implement enforceable reforms to strengthen women's representation. However, she noted that the current report of the Constitution Review Committee did not include provisions for quotas for women in Parliament and local government.
Participants at the forum underscored the importance of institutional safeguards to promote a more inclusive and representative democratic system.