Women's representation in parliament increases by one - 20 Old hands lost

In the First Republic, which started from 1960 to February 14, 1966, Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, introduced affirmative action which saw 10 women being elected into the 104 all-male parliament.

In 1965, a similar affirmative action by Dr Nkrumah sought to increase the number of women to 19 but his reign was truncated mid-way.

The Second Republic lasted from 1969 to 1972 and there was only one woman in the 140-seat parliament.

The Second Republic was overthrown by General I.K. Acheampong who ruled from 1972 to 1978.Under the National Redemption Council (NRC) and the Supreme Military Council I (SMCI).
General F.W.K Akuffo headed the Supreme Military Council II (SMC II) from 1978 to 1979.

In the Third Republic, which was under Dr Hilla Limann from 1979 to December 31, 1981, there were five women in the 140-seat parliament.

The Fourth Republic started in 1992 and there were 16 women in its first Parliament with 200 members while the second parliament of the fourth republic with 200 members, started in 1996 with 18 women.

The third parliament of the Fourth Republic which was from 2000 to 2004 had 19 women in the 200-seat parliament, and the Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic from 2004 to 2008 with 230 members had 25 women in Parliament.

The 230-member House constituting the fifth parliament of the Fourth Republic in 2008 saw the number of women representatives dropping to 20 and further dipping to 19 after Doris Asibi Seidu, former MP for the Chereponi Constituency, died.

In 2012, female representatives in the 275-member House which was the sixth parliament saw an increase to 29 representatives.

In 2016, which was the seventh parliament of the Fourth Republic, a total of 35 women were in parliament. This figure increased to 40 in 2020 which was the eight parliament and was the highest so far.

Increase by one

With so much sensitisation and education over the years on the need to increase women’s representation in parliament, the 2024 parliamentary election, which had 119 women contesting has seen 41 of them being elected into parliament with 20 of them being old parliamentarians. This is an increase of one in the 2020 figure.

A majority of them, that is 32, are from the NDC while the remaining nine are in the NPP.

Hitherto, the eighth parliament was split 20/20 among the two parties but the 2024 primaries saw the NDC losing three of its old hands while the NPP lost 17 of them.

So in the ninth parliament which will be from January 7, 2025, the NDC will be bringing in 15 new hands while the NPP will bring in six.

This figure, although a far cry from the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, (Act 1121) of 30 per cent representation, it is believed that since a majority of the women are from the government elect’s side, it will see more of them being represented at decision-making positions such as ministers of state, deputy ministers and on boards.

Congratulations

The Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT), Women’s Manifesto Coalition (WMC), DV Coalition and Affirmative Action Law Coalition have sent a message to congratulate all women who contested in the just-ended national elections.

According to the groups, “Despite the numerous hurdles you faced as female politicians, you put yourselves up for election and we are proud of you”.

The groups also congratulated female parliamentarians-elect and indicated their support in their role as Members of Parliament (MPs) who must push for gender-responsive legislation during their term in office to advance women's and girls’ rights and the right of others in the country.

“To those who lost their seats and first-timers who did not make it, we are proud of you for your resilience and determination.

Through your efforts, you have demonstrated that women in Ghana can and are more than able to run for office. May you regroup and come back stronger in 2028,” it added.

Writer’s email:rebecca.quaicoe-duho@graphic.com.gh