Accra: The Erudite Women's Empowerment Foundation (EWEF), in partnership with Plan International Ghana and the National Youth Authority, has launched a project aimed at advancing young women's political participation and transforming harmful social norms in communities. The project, dubbed 'Advancing Young Women's Political Participation and Social Norms Change in Ghana,' seeks to strengthen the leadership, advocacy, and governance participation of young women through mentorship, capacity building, and stakeholder collaboration.
According to Ghana News Agency, the project is being implemented by EWEF with funding support from the European Union through UN Women and will run for 18 months in the Asante Akim North, Central, and South Municipalities. Mrs. Constance Ohenewaa Ankoma, Executive Director of EWEF, stated that the initiative was inspired by the successes of the 'She Leads' project, which empowered girls and young women to participate actively in leadership and governance.
Mrs. Ankoma highlighted that the She Leads project had led to some beneficiaries contesting assembly member positions in their communities, demonstrating the impact of sustained leadership training and mentorship. The new project aims to build on this success by connecting young women to political leadership opportunities and challenging harmful social norms that hinder women's participation in governance.
The project targets 150 young women across the three districts, including those living with disabilities and those in the informal sector. It focuses on three key pillars: social norms transformation, capacity strengthening, and political leadership participation. Mrs. Ankoma noted the importance of challenging harmful social norms and transforming them into positive ones to elevate girls and young women in leadership roles.
The project will provide mentorship opportunities by linking young women with experienced female political leaders to inspire and guide them toward leadership positions. Mrs. Ankoma identified deep-rooted patriarchal norms, limited access to leadership opportunities, and weak intergenerational mentorship structures as barriers affecting women's participation in governance and decision-making processes.
As part of the implementation strategy, district-level young women leadership boot camps, women-in-politics training sessions, community dialogues with chiefs and queen mothers, and media campaigns promoting gender equality and women's leadership will be organized. The project is also expected to establish mentorship circles linking emerging female leaders with experienced women in politics, academia, and civil society to build a sustainable leadership pipeline.
Mrs. Ankoma called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders, including traditional leaders, youth groups, policymakers, and the media, to promote inclusive governance and create opportunities for more young women to participate in leadership and decision-making.