Women’s participation in local governance still low — NCCE

The Greater Accra Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mrs Lucil Annan, says women’s participation in local governance has not improved despite public education.

She said there had not been significant increase in women’s representation in governance, hence the need to canvass for more support for them at the district, regional and national levels.

Mrs Annan was addressing the Women’s Fellowship of the Church of Pentecost at Banana Inn in the Ablekuma Central District in Accra last weekend.

She said her prime objective was to focus on women in the district assembly election next year and canvass for more support for them to encourage them, and also to share their views about governance.

She said gender equality was vital to national development and called on women’s groups to intensify advocacy on the empowerment of women. She added: “We need to meet the 30 per cent representation set out in the 2015 Millennium Development Goals”.

The NCCE Director described the district assembly election for 2015 as crucial to women because it would help them to get involved in decision-making towards national development.

Madam Jane Amerley Oku, former assembly woman for Sabon Zongo who was the guest speaker, expressed regret that though women continued to engage in productive businesses and contribute to efforts to improve the economy, their representation remained low.