Local government expert, Dr Eric Oduro Osae, is appealing to assembly members across the country to unanimously endorse female MMDCE nominees due to the importance of female participation in governance.

Speaking to Ayisha Ibrahim on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Monday, he said, “Since we have few women, I’d make a passionate appeal to all assembly members to ensure a unanimous confirmation of all our women. It’s very important”.

A paltry 38 out of the 260 nominees, are women and all the regions except the Western North and Ahafo have female nominess.

Over the years, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and advocacy groups have championed the campaign to have more women represented in governance and public service positions.

To commemorate the 2021 edition of International Women’s Day, the Ghana Center for Democratic Development called on government to prioritise laying the Affirmative Action Bill before Parliament.

In a statement it said, “It is disappointing to note that close to three decades of the Fourth Republican Constitution, Ghana has been unable to put measures in place to actualize Article 35 (6) which mandates the State to take appropriate measures to achieve reasonable regional and gender balance in the recruitment and appointment to public offices, despite the immense contribution of women to political life.”

Dr Oduro Osae also encouraged more women to put themselves up for local government positions.

He admits that though there’s an increase in this year’s figure compared to previous lists, the progress is slow.

“We are making progress towards bridging the gender gap. Previously it used to be lower than 14%. It used to be around 12%. So, now we are making progress except that we should progress very fast,” he said.

The release of President Akufo-Addo’s list of MMDCE nominees has been greeted with protests and vandalising of party properties largely due to the disagreements between residents and some nominees across the country.

While some party supporters demand a change in nominees others have threatened to have the confirmation process stalled. 

But Dr Oduro Osae expects regional ministers to work with presiding members of assemblies to ensure a confirmation process with minimal rejections and without delays.