Rwanda has made history again. It is currently the only country in the world where women make up the majority in parliament. Women secured 48 out of the 80 seats or 56.25 per cent. How was the current remarkable feat achieved? Answer - Affirmative Action with a dose of political will! The Constitution of Rwanda provides for 30 per cent minimum quota for women in Parliament or 23 seats. In the run-up to the election, gender advocates called on parties not only to have representation of women and men on their party lists, but also to position women close to the top to ensure that their presence was felt by the entire party and supporters. The ruling party, the Rwanda Patriotic Front, placed a woman at the head of its list, and of the 42 seats it won, 17 went to women. For the Social Democratic Party and Liberal Party women won two seats and one seat respectively. Twenty-four women Members of Parliament were elected through the indirect electoral process managed by the National Women's Council - an organisation that is attached to the Ministry for Gender and Family Promotion. A total of 114 eligible candidates were fielded from five provinces. They were required to develop manifestos and campaign in their respective provinces to win the allocated seats. Mother woman was elected through the indirect election for youth representatives. What does this translate into? Equal participation of women and men in decision-making provides a balance that reflects the composition of society, something that is needed to strengthen democracy and to promote its proper functioning. Equality in political decision-making is leverage for integration of equality in government policy making. Women's involvement in political decision-making and in the legislature contribute to redefining political priorities, and placing new items on the political agenda that reflect and address women's gender-specific concerns, values and experiences and provides new perspectives on mainstream political issues. What makes it difficult for Ghana to achieve even 30 per cent representation in Parliament? Time and again, affirmative action is discussed by a few concerned civil society groups and the Ministry for Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC), then it fizzles away. In the 1992 Constitution, Articles 17 on non-discrimination and 21 (3) enjoin all citizens to participate freely in political activities. In 1998, a government White Paper on Affirmative Action stated that there would be 40 per cent representation of women in decision-making. Because this was not a policy, the government and political parties have not been held accountable to this quota. It is not surprising therefore, that the number of women in decision-making positions in Ghana still remains low. So far none of the three political parties, namely the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Convention People's Party (CPP) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), that have nominated their running mates, has chosen a woman. Although the CPP touts itself as being the only party with a female national organiser, a woman as a regional chairperson, and that women were highest during the rule of the CPP in 1960; it missed the boat when its vice-presidential nominee ended up a man. The CPP states in its manifesto that its agenda for gender equity will be pursued through the use of affirmative action policies to address “current discrimination against women in all spheres of national life". Someone help me to fully comprehend what this statement means. It is still the general statement without any concrete figures. What percentage will the CPP be aiming at, may I ask? The NPP also missed the boat. It nominated a man as a running mate to partner the party’s flag-bearer in the general election. Its manifesto promises to move the nation forward, but one wonders how that can be achieved when representation of women, who make up 51 per cent of the country's population, in decision-making remains very low? Like the case of Rwanda, the NPP, as the ruling party, could have used special measures to field more women to contest the forthcoming parliamentary election. In similar fashion, the NDC also chose a man as its vice presidential nominee. It has just launched its manifesto. What should we be expecting of the remaining parties - can they pull any surprises? If we missed the opportunity to have a female vice-president, what is the guarantee that we will exceed the present 10.9 per cent of female MPs? Early statistics show that the number of women who are vying for parliamentary seats in the forthcoming election total about 60. The exact number will be known at the end of filing of nominations in October.