Ghana

At a workshop in Akosombo, political parties with representation in Parliament called for the establishment of a voluntary quota of 30 per cent positions for women in the administration of political parties, the selection of parliamentary candidates and the appointment of district chief executives. The call for the implementation is part of the affirmative action to address the imbalances in representation at the different levels of the political spectrum.

The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) together with The Hunger Project (THP)-Ghana, had organized a three-day workshop to help to deepen the understanding of selected women assembly members of the local government system. The goal was to adequately equip them to perform and bring development to their communities.

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Ms Afua Gyapomaa, Programme Officer of Abantu for Development, a non-governmental Organization, has appealed to political parties to take adequate steps to remove barriers that discriminate against women in the country’s political development. She suggested that they should examine party structures and procedures and remove all barriers that discriminate against the participation of women in politics.

Twenty-three out of the 64 women who contested the New Patriotic Party (NPP) primaries were elected as parliamentary candidates and would contest on the ticket of the NPP in the 2012 general elections. Some women's rights advocates who called on the various parties to reduce filing fees by 50% for all female hopefuls are now happy that their call has gone down well.